Four historical definitions of architecture Where does architecture belong in the larger scheme of things Is it a liberal art Is it related to painting music medicine or horse training Is it timeless or does it have a beginning To pursue such questions Stephen Parcell investigates four historical definitions of Western architecture: as a techné in ancient Greece a mechanical art in medieval Europe an art of disegno in Renaissance Italy and a fine art in eighteenth century Europe. These definitions situated architecture within larger classifications of knowledge establishing alliances between architecture and other disciplines. They also influenced elements of architectural practice that we now associate with three characters (designer builder and dweller) and three things (material drawing and building). Guided by current architectural questions Parcell examines writings in these historical periods and focuses on practical implications of texts by Hugh of St Victor Leon Battista Alberti and Etienne Louis Boullée. Four Historical Definitions of Architecture shows how the concept of architecture and elements of architectural practice have evolved over time. Even the word architecture has ambiguous roots. Introduction Architecture as a technē Architecture as a mechanical art Hugh of St Victor and the mechanical arts Architecture as an art of Disegno Vasari and the arts of Disegno Architecture as a fine art Boullée and the fine arts Conclusion