What Is The Difference Between The Pantheon And The Greek Parthenon

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Introduction

The Roman Pantheon, constructed around 126AD, and the Greek Parthenon constructed about 432BC, are famous not just because they are two of the few significant ancient temples that have survived mostly intact for thousands of years but because the offer a glimpse into the past of early Western civilizations. These temples were used by two different cultures and are constructed about 550 years apart, so it is expected that there would be differences. The question to be examined is – Are the differences between the Parthenon and the Pantheon that great and what do they say about their cultures?

Discussion

First, what is a temple? Dictionary.com (n.d) defines it as “an edifice or place dedicated to the service or worship of a deity …show more content…

The Greek Parthenon is dedicated to the Goddess Athena and was designed to house a single, large statue of her. Furthermore, the building itself is designed to be pleasing to the eye and has a repeating series of 9 to 4 ratios in its construction (overall length to width, face of building width to height, etc…). It is also sighted on a prominent feature, visible for miles around. In short, it is as much a statement of artistry and power for the Athenian city state as it is a temple to venerate Athena. The Roman Pantheon is a much more utilitarian building built in the middle of the city and is admired today more for the fact that it has the largest concrete dome ever built than for its overall beauty. It is an engineering statement. Seen from the front it resembles the Parthenon but one gets a whole different feeling when viewing it from the side where it looks like a square building mashed together with a rectangular one and then with a cylindrical one. Only the front of the Pantheon has any decoration versus all four sides of the Parthenon. This utilitarian theme continued inside where the statues of many gods were placed around the outside perimeter, leaving the center open for a variety of

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