BOOK 1

Imperator Caesar (1.praef. 1)

Imperator means a victorious, charismatically acclaimed commander of troops. Under Augustus it has yet to mean “emperor,” but it means more than commander. Immediately from the time of C. Julius Caesar's assassination in March 44 b.c., Octavian (then aged eighteen) referred to himself as C. Caesar (and often “divi filius,” i.e., [adopted] son of the divine/deified Caesar), never Octavian, in order to emphasize that he was acceding to Julius Caesar's full political inheritance, including his clientage. He was awarded the title “Augustus” only in 27 b.c.

extensive researches (1.praef. 1)

Presumably an indication that Vitruvius is relying not only on his youthful education but also on lifelong continuous reading.

your Father (1.praef.2)

C. Julius Caesar, by then deified Julius Caesar.

your sister (1.praef.2)

This is presumably Octavia, the full sister of Augustus, who had been married to M. Antonius as a political alliance (40–32) and who endowed the Porticus Octavia with its library dedicated to her son Marcellus. Octavia was not just a significant patron of the arts, but was also politically very active, and even crucial, in the relationships between Octavian and Antony (e.g., arranging the pact of Tarentum in 37, which renewed their alliance and avoided civil war). Coordinating matters for lesser clients, like the architect Vitruvius, would have been commonplace for her.

signified and the signifier (1.1.3)

These expressions appear to be adapted from Epicurean philosophy, particularly natural philosophy, and refer to the necessity of beginning all scientific investigations with a clear definition of terms.

“Epicurus held that the study of physics begins with the adoption of a method of inquiry,” and the first rule of inquiry is to “have concepts which correspond to the words that are used,” that is, define terms. Vitruvius knew and sympathized with aspects of Epicurean philosophy (e.g., atomism), with which he was familiar through Lucretius's didactic poem De Rerum Natura (9.praef.l7).