Etruscan Temple Because of the materials the Etruscans used to build their temples we only have the foundations, and Vitruvius' (a Roman architect) account of the temples designs.

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Etruscan Temple

Because of the materials the Etruscans used to build their temples we only have the foundations, and Vitruvius' (a Roman architect) account of the temples designs. The knowledge of how the temples looked comes from his writings and also from ceramic votive models.                                 Etruscan temples were built on the podium- a raised platform that acts as the foundation for the building. From the courtyard or open city square a single flight of steps was leading up to a front porch. . The Etruscan temple had columns only on one side, which created a porch-like entrance, which set this side off as the temple's front, which was unlike the Greek temple.  Etruscan column resembled Greek Dioric order but was unfluted and made of wood with bases. It also had a simplified base, capital, and entablature.  The ground plan was divided equally between porch and interior space, which often was separated into three cellas providing home for statues of the gods: Tina (Zues), Uni (Hera), and Menrva (Athena).                                   The representative Etruscan temple resembles the Greek gable-roofed temple, but was made of sun-dried brick with terracotta decoration instead of stone. The columns and entablatures were made of wood or a tufa- a quarried volcanic rock which hardens when exposed to the air.                                                The Etruscan temple was mainly used to house statues of Etruscan God's. Statues made of terracotta were also placed on the peak of the Etruscan temple roof. Although the Etruscan temples were simple in form, they were ornamented with paintings and terra- cotta sculpture


Plan of a Typical Etruscan Temple

1. Podium (or base).                                                                                          2. Entrance steps.                                                                                                      3. Columns/colonnade.                                                                                             4. Porch.                                                                                                          5. Cella (three part).

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Tuscan order

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