Introduction
The Pantheon in Rome and the Parthenon in Athens are 2 very influential structures and architectural breakthrough milestones in the history of humanity. They have inspired designers and architects of all generations since their erection and continue to draw visitors to admire and study their majestic natures.
There are varying similarities seen in the forms of the buildings along with their original purposes. One similarity is the context for why both structures were built. They were both created as places of worship for the gods. In Athens, a statue of Athena was placed in the Parthenon and she was worshiped for her victory in battle. Where as in Rome, the Pantheon was built to worship many gods and emperor deities. These
This shows that Rome was the successor of Greek culture and design. It is important to note that Roman culture was known to imitate and copy ancient Greek architectural style. Often for more aesthetic reasons, and not the mathematical or design reasons the Greeks originally saw in their creations (as mentioned above). But this was not the case with the Pantheon. There are many references to geometric shapes (circles and squares) throughout the building. In addition, the dome was created at a height that is a perfect sphere above the ground which was a mathematical and structural
This is quite different than the Parthenon, which focused on the pillars both inside and outside of the building. Marble stone pillars are a focal point on the façade and entrance was inside the Pantheon, but they were not made with meticulous seamless vertical fluting down them nor were they pieced together to change the width of the pillar to create an optical illusion of straightness. Instead, each pillar on the Pantheon has a Corinthian design atop it’s header region for some decoration and not much else to make it stand out. Furthermore, the pillars inside are only decorative, not structural.
The main focus of the Pantheon is the dome at its centre. The dome is made of cement, which was not available to Greek civilizations. As mentioned in the Khan Academy video referenced, the Romans were the society that perfected the use of concrete for their design and structural needs. The dome is supported by large concrete crutches in the barrel on the outside of the building. This was not something the Greeks could’ve
After learning more about these two buildings, I discovered that the Romans were “inspired” by Greek architecture. The columns used in both are common to Greek architecture. Based on the photos that were viewed from online searches, it appears that the Romans were more ornate during the construction of their temple which can be seen by their choice of building materials, such as marble. The Parthenon seems to have had more simple lines. It was rectangular in shape as opposed to the Pantheon that was rounded in many areas, particularly where the sculptures of the gods were. This was to lend to the idea that they were on the same level and that no god was given more preferential treatment since the Pantheon was to honor all of them equally. The structures resemble one another in that they both have those ominous columns as a way to emphasize the dominion the gods had over the
Pantheon and Hagia Sophia Pantheon and Hagia Sophia are two extremely outstanding architectural pieces of their times. They have been built according to the traditions of those particular times. The materials used to built these buildings and the purpose for which they were used are all very important aspects and have been briefly covered in this report. Pantheon The statesman Agrippa built pantheon in 27 B.C. Then it was completely rebuilt by the emperor Hadrian. The Pantheon is remarkable for its size, its construction, and its design. The dome was the largest built until modern times. The present structure was probably originally built as a temple for all the pagan gods. We do hear of it as being a law-court and a reception area for Emperor Hadrian meeting his quests too. Some say that the rotunda of the building was once a Roman bath. Due to all this mystery, the Pantheon is often referred to as the Sphinx of Rome. The visitor will probably not appreciate the construction as much as the Flavian amphitheatre, but it is still a great masterpiece of engineering and well worth a visit. Most Roman and Greek temples at the time of the Pantheon's construction were large, colonnaded, rectangular enclosures with sanctuaries situated in their centers. The Pantheon was different. It consisted of a large circular drum topped with a hemispherical dome. It is a masterpiece of both engineering and art a lasting memory of Ancient Rome’s might. Roman architecture is architecture of wall and enclosed tactile space. Individual column with entablature is no longer the basic architectural unity. Spatially, it shows a development from closed, simple space units and regular articulation to more complex spatial relations, more fluid interpenetrati...
Although the Pantheon and the Cathedral of Chartres are both some of the greatest architectural advances in history they are very different. We can compare the time that each of the buildings was built, where and for who they were built for, and why they were built. Another thing we can compare is the structure of the buildings and the type of material they are built from.
The Parthenon is an amazing Greek temple that was built 2,500 years ago. Even the architects of today have numerous questions about how it was constructed and how it has held up through its eventful past. The Parthenon's detailed appearance is not its only meaningful quality. The Parthenon was constructed as a temple to the goddess, Athena, and as an icon of the Greek people themselves. The Parthenon represents the Greek ideals of humanism, idealism, and rationalism.
As one of the greatest structures in Rome, the Pantheon was built between 118 and 128 CE. It is described as the most remarkable ancient building surviving in Rome. After being destroyed and rebuilt twice, it was renamed the “Temple of the Gods”. In 126 AD, the Pantheon was restored to its glory, by the architects who at that time has learned and mastered their craft in concrete construction in the Greek Classical order. They constructed a massive 25 foot thick walls which was to support the huge dome made of concrete to be placed at the top. The dome was the largest ever made of unreinforced concrete at 43.4 meters in diameter (Matthews, Roy and Platt pg. 5).
The shape, design, and mystery architect emphasizes the inspiring power it creates when one walks into the pantheon. No one knows who built the pantheon, however, there is a clear association with Hadrian who "stands in relation to it as Justinian to the Hagia Sophia or Louis XIV to Versailles" (Macdonald, 2002, pg. 12). Hadrian was born in 76 A.D in Spain , part of roman empire, to a royal family. He worked in the military government and became emperor after the emperor Trajan died in 117 A.D (Macdonald, 2002, pg. 12). Hadrian was well-rounded, intelligent, kind, deceiving, and was knowledgeable in architecture, art, and poetry (Macdonald, 2002, pg. 12). Before the pantheon was built, there was a temple built by Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, during the emperor Augustus's reign (Joost-Gaugier, 1998, pg. 22). Although, the sanctuary was burnt, Hadrian commissioned the pantheon and kept the same inscription above the columns with Agrippa's name. Keeping Agrippa's name was intentional and Hadrian liked to exclude his name on structures built during his time (Macdonald, 2002, pg. 13). This illustrates Hadrian's meticulous personality which was different from other emperors who liked to have their names inscribed on every
Greek palaces and temples, consisting of massive columns, were built for the gods or other religious purposes. The temples found at the center of the polis, the acropolis, were made as earthen dwellings for the gods, a place for storage of sacred objects and offerings, and also served out tasks for the polis such as keeping records. Temples, along with other sacred places were sometimes only open to certain peoples or cults, and people who were not ritually purified or had “religious pollution” were not allowed to enter sacred places (Adkins & Adkins 338). The fact that the religion centers are in the middle of the cities symbolizes how Greek religion was central to Grecian life, it was one of the most important things to them. The temples also represent the architectural and cultural achievements of the Greeks. The magnificent style of these temples has influenced not only Greece but the whole world as Grecian columns have been a staple in architecture since there creation; this is even evident in the United States with buildings such as the United States Capitol, built hundreds of years after the establishment of Ancient Grecian architecture. Along with architecture, Greek art, most notably pottery and sculpture, was also influenced by religion. Greek pottery, depicting mythological and heroic scenes, and statues, portraying the human form often made in the image of gods,
The Parthenon was built to honor the goddess of wisdom, Athena. When structures are built using straight lines they tend to look slightly distorted due to the science of optics. The architects Iktos and Kallikretes were skilled architects of their time and they used illusory tactics to create an ideal aesthetic for The Parthenon. The architects compensated for these visual illusions by counteracting them in their design. The end result is a structure that is not composed of straight lines, but when viewed by the human eye, looks perfectly straight. Plato would have mentioned one of his famous dictums, ?That which changes least is most real.? He would have viewed Iktos and Kallikretes designs as less real than other designs that do not u...
One of the most defining features of both the Pantheon and Jesse Hall is the larges domes that sit atop their structures. When the Pantheon was created, there was no dome ever created to the scale or size of the one that tops the building to this day. The dome itself sits on a drum like structure that supports the structure. The top is not completely curved like many other domes today. A stepped dome is used near the bottom and begins to curve more towards the top where the oculus sits. This oculus allows any sort of element into the building including sunlight, rain, and snow. The Pantheon, being a space of religious worship when originally created used the dome for many different purposes. In Understanding Architecture, extra contributor David Wat...
The Parthenon was built during the Golden age in Athens, Greece. The Parthenon is made of mainly columns; there is a 9:4 ratio. It was almost destroyed in war; the ruins that remained were dedicated to Athena. The purpose of the Parthenon was to house the statue of Athena, made of ivory and gold, and also Athena’s treasure. The ratios and the equations used to make the Parthenon were used as a sign of the harmony in the natural world around us. The mathematical harmony in the world shows how we can work with the world rather than destroy to make it what we want. The Parthenon also has no straight lines. The columns of the Parthenon are angled going up getting smaller the higher they get. This was done so that you could get the best lighting
The Hagia Sophia, also known as, the church of Holy Wisdom, was designed and constructed by Anthemius of Tralles and Isidorus of Miletus. Justinian wanted the Hagia Sophia to be the grandest church compared to the other churches. The Hagia Sophia consists of many architectural structure similar to those of the Greek and Roman temples. A Roman structure that is very similar to the Hagia Sophia is the Pantheon. Both the Hagia Sophia and Pantheon consist of a dome. However, the Pantheon only consisted of one major dome, that is behind the columnar porch. The dome of the Pantheon seems as if it is hidden away by the porch. Unlike the Pantheon, you can clearly see the dome of the Hagia Sophia. It is a domed basilica, where the eastern and western
In AD 80’s fire, most of Pantheon was destroyed, leaving only rectangular colonnade. The 16 granite pillar of Pantheon was rebuilt as the top of the porch carved on the porch. The eight giant columns from the front porch can still see the original Pantheon building scope. Pantheon, “Pan” refers to “all”, “Theon” meaning “God”, which means dedicated to all of Rome’s God. Pantheon is the ancient Roman architecture masterpiece, the foundation, wall and dome of the Pantheon are pouring concrete made with volcano ash which makes it very strong.
The picture itself is not exemplary of any one classical Greek building, but contains many elements of classical Greek architecture and design. The columns are what stand out the most in the architecture of this picture. The original Greek columns came in three different styles, or orders: Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian. All Greek columns consist of both a shaft and a capital, and sometimes there is a base as well. The shaft is made from round drums stacked one on top of the other. The main difference among the orders comes from the differences in the capitals. The Doric capitals are usually very simple and look like the weight of the roof is flattening them out. The Ionic capitals are a little fancier with a large volute, which looks like rams horns rolling off of the shaft. The Corinthian capital is much more complex with smaller volutes and many stylized acanthus leaves and rosettes, accompanied by a boss on the top of each side. All three types of columns rest on the floor of the building, which is often a temple. The fl...
Here already there is another, not ancient understanding of the internal space of the temple. The Pantheon, built in ancient Rome, can be compared only with the forum and the Colosseum by originality of design and significance for architecture. The Romans, who subjugated most of the European peoples, considered it necessary to pay homage to both their own and other gods. It was for this purpose that the construction of the Pantheon was planned - a temple in which there would be images of all the gods. Its construction, preserved to our days, was received in 125 under the leadership of Apollodorus Damascus during the reign of Emperor
Another difference in these civilizations is in the architecture of each region. The architecture of the Romans was also more advanced than that of the Greeks; they used concrete and placed emphasis on arches, vaulted ceilings, and domes while Greece emphasized balance and symmetry. Greek temples aimed at impressing by designing intricate, aesthetically pleasing outer views, while Roman architecture's goal was to impress by enclose a vast amount of space.