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- Its magnificent concrete dome is a lasting testimony to the genius of Roman architects. As the building stands virtually intact it offers a unique opportunity for the modern visitor to step back 2,000 years and experience the glory that was Rome.
www.worldhistory.org/Pantheon/
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Dec 3, 2023 · The Romans used the dome to create grandiose spaces that evoked the gods, giving birth to the use of domes for religious purposes. Domes were also an important engineering feat since they were able to stand up to water pressure, earthquakes and other disasters which were common in ancient Rome.
- Origins
- From Pagan Temple to Christian Church
- Pantheon Dome
- The Pantheon Today
- Sources
The present-day Pantheon is located on the site of an earlier structure of the same name, constructed around 25 B.C. by statesman Marcus Agrippa, son-in-law of the first Roman emperor, Augustus. Traditionally thought to have been designed as a temple for Roman gods, the structure’s name is derived from the Greek words pan, meaning “all,” and theos,...
In 330, the capital of the Roman Empire was transferred from Rome to Byzantium (modern-day Istanbul, Turkey) by Emperor Constantine. Afterward, the Pantheon fell into a long period of disrepair. In 476, the German warrior Odoacer conquered the western half of the Roman Empire, where Rome was situated. The Pantheon’s long decline continued. Then, in...
Made primarily from bricks and concrete, the Pantheon consists of three sections: a portico with granite columns, a massive domed rotunda and a rectangular area connecting the other two sections. Measuring 142 feet in diameter, the domed ceiling was the largest of its kind when it was built. At to the top of the dome sits an opening, or oculus, 27 ...
Following the Pantheon’s conversion into a Christian church, it eventually became the burial place for Renaissance figures including painter Raphael, composer Arcangelo Corelli and architect Baldassare Peruzzi. Several monarchs are buried there too, including Vittorio Emanuele II, who died in 1878 and was the first king of Italy since the 6th centu...
Hadrian: life and legacy. The British Museum Interior of the Pantheon, Rome (painting). National Gallery of Art. The Pantheon William L. MacDonald. Harvard University Press
- Missy Sullivan
- 10 min
Domes were a characteristic element of the architecture of Ancient Rome and of its medieval continuation, the Byzantine Empire. They had widespread influence on contemporary and later styles, from Russian and Ottoman architecture to the Italian Renaissance and modern revivals.
Apr 9, 2018 · The Pantheon in Rome is a marvel of engineering because of its large domed roof. Made of concrete, the dome is a perfect hemisphere and the largest surviving example of this kind of roof from the ancient world.
- Mark Cartwright
- The name Pantheon means "temple of all the Gods". There was no Roman cult to all the Roman gods and it is not known exactly who the Pantheon was de...
- The Pantheon was built during the reign of Roman emperor Trajan (98-117 CE) but not completed until c. 125 CE. It is dedicated to Marcus Agrippa be...
- The dome of the Pantheon is made of a concrete mix (caementa) of light tufa and scoria (a type of pumice).
Dated around the early second century AD, it is one of the best preserved building of antiquity in the world, and testifies the superiority of Roman building techniques. Its dome, with its distinctive central hole, the “oculus”, is the biggest ever built in masonry.
- 43.40 meters
- 5.90 meters
- 21.75 meters
- c. 5,000 metric tonnes
Jun 12, 2023 · At the top of the dome is the famous oculus, a 8.7 meter-wide circular opening that allows sunlight to enter the interior. This source of natural light creates a moving spectacle throughout the day, casting dramatic shadows that illuminate the interior in different ways.
The idea fits nicely with Dio’s understanding of the dome as the canopy of the heavens and, by extension, of the rotunda itself as a microcosm of the Roman world beneath the starry heavens, with the emperor presiding over it all, ensuring the right order of the world.
