De architectura
Ten Books on Architecture by Vitruvius (c. 80–70 BC - c. 15 BC)
YAY - Look what arrived in the mail for me today! I’ve been trying to read this book on my iPhone for months now, but hasn’t been happening. This copy has illustrations. So happy. I can finally properly see how to fortify my village walls against attacks now! (Round or polygonal wall towers are better than square, for square walls are easier shattered by battering rams. And don’t forget the earthen ramparts.) Also there are some really good tips on how to test the air and water in your village by cutting cows open and examining their internal organs.
It is also important to know that if your city is in a place near marshes, “when the morning breezes blow toward your town at sunrise, if they bring with them mists from the marshes… the poisonous breath of the creatures of the marshes” can be wafted into the bodies of the inhabitants. I’m so glad my city is situated in between the pristine banks of the Hudson and East rivers. There’s a big section on all the different types of winds that can fuck your whole shit up, too. This book is amazing.
