The Tribunal of the Basilica of Fano
Iborra Bernad, Federico and Baró Zarzo, José Luis
Departmento de Composición Arquitectónica, Universitat Politècnica de València, Spain.
Abstract:
Within the History of Architecture, the treatise of Vitruvius plays a fundamental role because it is the oldest and most complete source speaking about Greek and Roman architecture. One of the most influential topics discussed throughout history has been the description of the basilica that Vitruvius designed and built in the second half of the 1st century B.C. in the small town of Fano, on the Adriatic coast of Italy. The author dedicates several pages to explain the dimensions and construction details, and consequently there has always been the temptation to try to restore graphically this building, which, however, presents serious difficulties. One of the biggest challenges is, without doubt, the configuration of the tribunal area, where justice was administered and which, as we will see, has given rise to very varied hypotheses. Our purpose consist in classifying these hypotheses and discussing their possible references and level of credibility.
Keywords: Vitruvius; Basilica of Fano; Roman Architecture; Tribunal.