Classical civilization looks upon the human body as the measure of beauty

Vitruvius admires the Greek temple. The Grecian temple is designed and constructed in accordance with set mathematical proportions. The proportions are determined either by the lower diameter of the column or by the dimensions of the foundational level. Where required, optical refinements lightened the straight line of the set square. The Greek temple is the summit of the built presence. The aim harmonizes form of all architectural elements, aesthetic perfection and refinement. The Greek temple is also painted; bright reds and blues contrasted with white building stone or stucco. Temples are public statements, honouring a deity or commemorating an event. They are jewels of the ideal

Graecia capta ferum victorem cepit et artes intulit agrestic Latio, Conquered Greece took captive her savage conqueror and brought her arts into rustic Latium, is courtesy of Quintus Horatius Flaccus, also known as Horace. But the Romans flip the quote, for the Greek temple is an opportunity

The Roman temple is the actual place of worship. For the Greeks, the temple is where the divinity’s spirit may be present. And, as Rome expands; other gods are incorporated. Polytheism is political. The temple is usually freestanding, viewed from all sides. All measurements are set proportions. Across the Roman Empire, even the smallest town has its forum, complete with a prominent temple. Roman temples are always wealth and power, they are also Imperial commitment and control

Vitruvius, in his thesis, de Architectura, cites three prerequisites of architecture: firmitas, firmness; utilitas, commodity; and venustas, delight, all of which require the architect to be skilled with learning and knowledge. To these prerequisites he identifies six principles of design: ordinatio, order; dispositio, arrangement; symmetria, symmetry; decor, propriety; distributio, economy; and eurythmia, proportion. Of the six principles, eurythmia interrelates and supports all the other factors in geometrical forms and arithmetical ratios

symmetria is cited in our era as symmetry. In antiquity, the noun’s sense was closely related to the understanding of mathematical harmony or measurable proportions. Vitruvius in his thesis equated the human body to the golden ratio:

The golden ratio, also known as the golden number, the golden proportion or the divine proportion; being a ratio between two numbers that equals approximately 1.618. It is usually written in Greek as the letter Phi, Φ φ

Vitruvius describes and associates the human body to the golden ratio. The principles of measurement: the digit, foot, and cubit are from the dimensions of the Vitruvian Man. Specifically, Vitruvius cites the man’s total height of 6 feet and each part of the body takes a different ratio therefrom, the face is about 1/10 of the total height, the head is 1/8 the total height, and so forth. Vitruvius cites these ratios to prove the composition of Classical orders of architecture mimic’s the human body, therein he associates the corpus hominis with aesthetic harmony. Here below is the described Vitruvian Man