{"id":93184,"date":"2026-01-30T06:45:36","date_gmt":"2026-01-30T11:45:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/?p=93184"},"modified":"2026-02-05T14:36:31","modified_gmt":"2026-02-05T19:36:31","slug":"vitruvius-and-built-world-of-new-testament","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/daily\/ancient-cultures\/ancient-rome\/vitruvius-and-built-world-of-new-testament\/","title":{"rendered":"Vitruvius and the Built World of the New Testament"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_93190\" style=\"width: 410px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Image-1_Foundation-of-Basilica.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-93190\" class=\"wp-image-93190 lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/wp-content\/smush-avif\/2026\/01\/Image-1_Foundation-of-Basilica-1024x768.jpg.avif\" alt=\"Exposed foundations of Vitruvius\u2019s basilica at the site of ancient Fanum Fortunae along Italy\u2019s Adriatic coast. Courtesy Italian Ministry of Culture\" width=\"400\" height=\"300\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/wp-content\/smush-avif\/2026\/01\/Image-1_Foundation-of-Basilica-1024x768.jpg.avif 1024w, https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/wp-content\/smush-avif\/2026\/01\/Image-1_Foundation-of-Basilica-300x225.jpg.avif 300w, https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/wp-content\/smush-avif\/2026\/01\/Image-1_Foundation-of-Basilica-768x576.jpg.avif 768w, https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Image-1_Foundation-of-Basilica.jpg 1286w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 400px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 400\/300;\" data-original-sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" data-smush-avif-fallback=\"{&quot;data-src&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/Image-1_Foundation-of-Basilica-1024x768.jpg&quot;,&quot;data-srcset&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/Image-1_Foundation-of-Basilica-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\\\/\\\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/Image-1_Foundation-of-Basilica-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\\\/\\\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/Image-1_Foundation-of-Basilica-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\\\/\\\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/Image-1_Foundation-of-Basilica.jpg 1286w&quot;}\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-93190\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Exposed foundations of Vitruvius\u2019s basilica at the site of ancient Fanum Fortunae along Italy\u2019s Adriatic coast. <em>Courtesy Italian Ministry of Culture.<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n<p>When we read the New Testament, we often focus on the words spoken and the people involved\u2014Jesus, Pilate, Paul, crowds. Yet these texts unfold within a physical world that is rarely described in full. Trials took place <a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/daily\/biblical-topics\/new-testament\/public-trials-in-letter-of-james\/\">in public<\/a>. Accusations and defenses were voiced before officials, and people gathered to hear and respond to judgments. All of this occurred within Roman built spaces\u2014forums, basilicas, and praetoria (official residences)\u2014that ancient readers knew well.<\/p>\n<p>While parts of the early Roman built world survive in exceptional sites such as Pompeii and Herculaneum, Roman architecture is unevenly preserved across the empire. <a href=\"https:\/\/cultura.gov.it\/comunicato\/28580\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Recent excavations<\/a> at Piazza Andrea Costa in the Italian city of Fano (ancient Fanum Fortunae) provide an opportunity to recover the architecture of a mid-sized Italian city, one not subjected to the constant rebuilding that took place in the capital. Archaeologists believe they have identified the remains of a Roman basilica in Fanum Fortunae built by the late first-century BCE architect Vitruvius.<\/p>\n<p>In book 5 of his treatise <em>De Architectura<\/em> (\u201cOn Architecture\u201d), Vitruvius described a basilica in Fanum Fortunae that he designed and oversaw. Although he usually spoke in general principles rather than about specific works, he broke that precedent at Fanum Fortunae. As the sources stand, the basilica there was the only building Vitruvius ever claimed as his own.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<div style=\"padding: 0 1em;\">\n<h5>Basilicas in the Roman World<\/h5>\n<p><em>To modern readers, the word basilica can be confusing. Today, basilicas are associated with churches. In the Roman world, however, a basilica was not a religious building. It was a type of public building, a large public hall used for legal proceedings, administration, and civic life. If you wanted to hear a verdict, bring a case, or witness authority in action, the basilica was one of the places to do it.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>Extra reading:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/library.biblicalarchaeology.org\/article\/eternal-architecture\/\">Eternal Architecture<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<hr \/>\n<p>Because <em>De Architectura<\/em> is the only surviving architectural manual from antiquity and was widely influential across the Roman world, identifying one of Vitruvius\u2019s own basilicas illuminates not only this single structure, but also the design principles behind countless others. Speaking about the discovery\u2019s significance, Fano\u2019s mayor Luca Serfilippi called the find\u202f\u201ca fragment of historical and cultural identity of universal value.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>When archaeologists found imposing masonry structures and marble floors at Fano in 2022, they anticipated that the area was part of a monumental public complex. Further excavations have revealed a rectangular basilica and perimeter colonnade\u2014eight columns on each long side and four on each short side, just as Vitruvius described in <em>De Architectura<\/em>. The team has found that the dimensions of the building match Vitruvius\u2019s description of his Fanum Fortunae basilica to \u201cthe exact centimeter.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Vitruvius presents the basilica at Fanum Fortunae as a model of how a basilica of \u201cthe greatest dignity and beauty\u201d should be built. A visionary who is often called the \u201cfather of architecture,\u201d Vitruvius argued that architecture should be modeled on the human form. For example, just as human bodies have an average height-to-width ratio, so too should a column. A column\u2019s height should be a specific multiple of its diameter\u2014often eight or nine times the diameter\u2014so the column looks balanced rather than squat or slender. For Vitruvius, when architecture mirrored the proportions of the human body, it reflected natural balance. This granted the sense of a properly ordered world and encouraged a harmonious society.<\/p>\n<p>Vitruvius notes other proportional relationships as well, describing what he took to be ideal human measurements: a person\u2019s height corresponds to their arm span, and the body can be measured as roughly eight head-lengths tall. Beguiled by these ideas centuries later, Leonardo da Vinci famously drew his Vitruvian Man.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_93191\" style=\"width: 410px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Image-2_Vitruvian-Man.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-93191\" class=\"wp-image-93191 lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Image-2_Vitruvian-Man.jpg\" alt=\"Vitruvian Man by Leonardo da Vinci (c. 1490). Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons\" width=\"400\" height=\"548\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Image-2_Vitruvian-Man.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/wp-content\/smush-avif\/2026\/01\/Image-2_Vitruvian-Man-219x300.jpg.avif 219w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 400px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 400\/548;\" data-original-sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" data-smush-avif-fallback=\"{&quot;data-srcset&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/Image-2_Vitruvian-Man.jpg 500w, https:\\\/\\\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/Image-2_Vitruvian-Man-219x300.jpg 219w&quot;}\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-93191\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Vitruvian Man by Leonardo da Vinci (c. 1490). <em>Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons.<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n<p>The basilica in Fano therefore offers a rare bridge between text and place. It allows modern readers to imagine the civic and legal world of the New Testament more vividly, and to recognize that Roman architecture was doubly functional: It provided space for public gathering while reinforcing civic order through its design. The findings show that Vitruvius\u2019s ideal proportions and model basilica were not just theoretical, but were realized in the spaces that shaped the public life of the early Roman Empire.<\/p>\n<hr style=\"width: 33%;\" \/>\n<p><strong>Lauren K. McCormick<\/strong> is an assistant editor at <em>Biblical Archaeology Review<\/em> and a specialist in ancient Near Eastern religions, visual culture, and the Bible. She holds various degrees in religion from Syracuse University, Duke University, New York University, and Rutgers University, and completed a postdoctoral fellowship on religion and the public conversation at Princeton University.<br \/>\n<hr \/><h3 style=\"color: red; margin: 0px 0px 0px; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; text-align: center; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-top: 0px;\">Become a BAS All-Access Member\u00a0Now!<\/h3>\r\n<p style=\"line-height: 22px; font-size: 14px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0 0 5px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 10px\">Read <i>Biblical Archaeology Review<\/i> online, explore 50 years of <b>BAR<\/b>, watch videos, attend talks, and more<\/p>\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/subscribe-new?utm_term=W26009B0\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-53973 lazyload\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 300px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 300\/57;border: none;\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/button-all-access-pass.jpg\" alt=\"access\" width=\"300\" height=\"57\" border=\"0\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/button-all-access-pass.jpg 376w, https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/wp-content\/smush-avif\/2019\/04\/button-all-access-pass-300x57.jpg.avif 300w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-original-sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" data-smush-avif-fallback=\"{&quot;data-srcset&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2019\\\/04\\\/button-all-access-pass.jpg 376w, https:\\\/\\\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2019\\\/04\\\/button-all-access-pass-300x57.jpg 300w&quot;}\" \/><\/a><hr \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When we read the New Testament, we often focus on the words spoken and the people involved\u2014Jesus, Pilate, Paul, crowds. Yet these texts unfold within [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":76,"featured_media":93190,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16559],"tags":[16560,9728,21942],"class_list":["post-93184","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ancient-rome","tag-ancient-rome","tag-new-testament-world","tag-roman-architecture"],"acf":[],"nelio_content":{"autoShareEndMode":"never","automationSources":{"useCustomSentences":false,"customSentences":[]},"efiAlt":"","efiUrl":"","followers":[76],"highlights":[],"isAutoShareEnabled":true,"networkImageIds":[],"permalinkQueryArgs":[],"series":[],"suggestedReferences":[]},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.0 (Yoast SEO v27.1.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Vitruvius and the Built World of the New Testament - Biblical Archaeology Society<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Recent excavations in Fano, Italy, reveal a Roman basilica matching Vitruvius\u2019s description, offering a rare window into the built civic world behind the New Testament.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/daily\/ancient-cultures\/ancient-rome\/vitruvius-and-built-world-of-new-testament\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Vitruvius and the Built World of the New Testament\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"When we read the New Testament, we often focus on the words spoken and the people involved\u2014Jesus, Pilate, Paul, crowds. 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