The Parthenon situated in Athens, Greece was built in 447 BCE and was built as a monument to the goddess Athena, to whom the ancient Greeks attributed their success in the Persian wars. The building was meant to stand as a symbol of Athens’ wealth and power with the outer, larger temple housing a statue of Athena and the smaller, inner room used as a treasury.
While the Parthenon was built in celebration of a single god[dess], the Pantheon in Rome was built to honor all the Roman gods. Built several centuries after the Parthenon, the Pantheon was initially built as part of a complex that would house baths, a basilica and the Pantheon.
The lines of the Parthenon were intended to mirror the absolute perfection of the gods which is what the Greeks strove for. The Doric columns of the building that flanked the outer room were designed to give an …show more content…
The interior room was used as a treasury and featured ionic columns. Although the exact symbolism of the ionic columns with their scrolled or ovarian volutes is not clear, these smaller and more feminine columns are mostly found in buildings housing libraries or town/city halls. It would therefore appear that their use in the inner room that was used as a treasury was suited to the design aesthetics of the time. In addition, being an inner room required that smaller columns were used.
The Pantheon with its revolutionary circular building and dome were and still are considered an architectural marvel as the dome was built with no support and remains the largest unreinforced concrete dome in the world. It is thought that as a result of the Pantheon being kept in use through the ages – from medieval, through renaissance to modern times – it remains intact and sturdy. It has gone from being a temple to the gods, to being a Christian church, a tomb and now a Catholic Church where mass is held
While the Parthenon was built in celebration of a single god[dess], the Pantheon in Rome was built to honor all the Roman gods. Built several centuries after the Parthenon, the Pantheon was initially built as part of a complex that would house baths, a basilica and the Pantheon.
The lines of the Parthenon were intended to mirror the absolute perfection of the gods which is what the Greeks strove for. The Doric columns of the building that flanked the outer room were designed to give an …show more content…
The interior room was used as a treasury and featured ionic columns. Although the exact symbolism of the ionic columns with their scrolled or ovarian volutes is not clear, these smaller and more feminine columns are mostly found in buildings housing libraries or town/city halls. It would therefore appear that their use in the inner room that was used as a treasury was suited to the design aesthetics of the time. In addition, being an inner room required that smaller columns were used.
The Pantheon with its revolutionary circular building and dome were and still are considered an architectural marvel as the dome was built with no support and remains the largest unreinforced concrete dome in the world. It is thought that as a result of the Pantheon being kept in use through the ages – from medieval, through renaissance to modern times – it remains intact and sturdy. It has gone from being a temple to the gods, to being a Christian church, a tomb and now a Catholic Church where mass is held