1952–April 1953

Translation, Morgan's Harvard Univ Press 1914

EXHEDRAE in Vitruvius' De Architectura.

V-xi-2. (Chapter xi: on the Palaestra)

1. The square or oblong peristyle in a palaestra should be so formed that the circuit of it makes a walk of two stades...Let three of its colonnades be single, but let the fourth, which is on the south side, be double, so that when there is bad weather accompanied by wind, the drops of rain may not be able to reach the interior.

2.Constituantur autem in tribus porticibus exhedrae spatiosae, habentes sedes in quibus philosophi rhetores reliquique qui studiis delectantur sedentes disputare possint. in duplici autem porticu [In the three colonnades construct roomy recesses with seats in them, where philosophers, rhetoricians, and others who delight in learning may sit and converse. In the double colonnade let the rooms be arranged thus: the young men's hall in the middle; this is a very spacious recess (exedra) with seats in it, and it should be one third longer than it is broad.

conlocentur haec membra. ephebeum in medio, hoc autem est exhedra amplissima cum sedibus, quae tertia parte longior sit quam lata.

VI (on private houses)-iii (proportions of the principal rooms)- 8. Tricliniorum quanta latitudo fuerit, bis tanta longitudo fieri debebit ... sin autem exhedrae aut oeci quadrati fuerint, latitudinis dimidia addita altitudines educantur. pinacothecae uti exhedrae amplis magnitudinibus sunt constituendae.

Dining rooms ought to be twice as long as they are wide. The height of all oblong rooms should be calculated by adding together the measured length and width, taking one half of this total, and using the result for the height. But in the case of exhedrae or square oeci, let the height be brought up to one and one half times the width. Picture galleries, like exhedrae, should be constructed of generous dimensions.

VI-vii (the Greek house)-3 (the andronitis) ..et in porticibus quae ad septentrionem spectant triclinia cyzicena et pinacothecas, ad orientem autem bybliothecas, exhedras ad occidentem, ad meridiem vero spectantes oecos quadratos tam ampla magnitudine uti facliter in eis quattuor triclinis stratis ministrationum ludorumque operis locus possit esse spatiosus.

3. In connexion with these there are ampler sets of apartments with more sumptuous peristyles ... off the colonnades that face the north they have Cyzicene dining rooms and picture galleries; to the east, libraries; exedrae to the west; and to the south, large square rooms of such generous dimensions that four sets of dining couches can easily be arranged in them, with plenty of room for serving and for the amusements.

VII (on decorations)-v (fresco painting)-2: .. patentibus autem locis uti exhedris propter amplitudines parietum scaenarum frontes tragico more aut comico seu satyrico designarent ...

2. Afterwards they made such progress as to represent the forms of buildings, and of columns, and projecting and overhanging pediments; in their open rooms, such as exhedrae, on account of the size, they depicted the facades of scenes in the tragic, comic, or satyric style.