Tiger Gao
Art History ASP w/ Mr. Callahan
10/10/2015
Why can the Pantheon in Rome be seen as the pinnacle of Roman architecture?
The Pantheon was built by Emperor Hadrian between 118 and 125 C.E. and is regarded as one of the most iconic pieces of Roman architecture. Built without any steel rods, Pantheon withstood external influences in the past centuries and still stands as one of the best-preserved temples in Rome today, representing the pinnacle of Roman architecture. While the Pantheon’s structure consists mostly of two parts – a domed rotunda and a columnar porch – many of its other structural details demonstrate Roman architecture’s distinctive innovations and characteristics that keep inspiring architects even today.
Pantheon’s porch contains eight Corinthian columns that demonstrate solidity and “show respect to tradition” (Gardner, p.210). These Corinthian columns, unlike the Greek Corinthian columns, are a mixture of multiple decorative orders – unfluted and not segmented. The shafts flow uninterruptedly from the heavy bases up to the capitals, manifesting a sense of solidity. These …show more content…
The sunlight through the nine-meter-diameter oculus often projects itself on the wall and moves along the coffers as the sun moves across the sky. The Pantheon thus functions like a sundial, reflecting the movement of the heave (Cohen). The rotunda also contains many statues of gods, symbolizing how earthly sphere meets heavenly sphere in such a divine place (Steven, Zucker). There are also 140 coffers on the dome (Moore). These coffers not only help relieve the immense weight of the dome, but also symbolize the heaven (Kleinbauer, p.239). As Norberg-Schulz indicates, the Pantheon “unifies cosmic order and living history” (p.101). It is a place where the divinity is well presented to the people, who, in return, experience another realm of
Art History ASP w/ Mr. Callahan
10/10/2015
Why can the Pantheon in Rome be seen as the pinnacle of Roman architecture?
The Pantheon was built by Emperor Hadrian between 118 and 125 C.E. and is regarded as one of the most iconic pieces of Roman architecture. Built without any steel rods, Pantheon withstood external influences in the past centuries and still stands as one of the best-preserved temples in Rome today, representing the pinnacle of Roman architecture. While the Pantheon’s structure consists mostly of two parts – a domed rotunda and a columnar porch – many of its other structural details demonstrate Roman architecture’s distinctive innovations and characteristics that keep inspiring architects even today.
Pantheon’s porch contains eight Corinthian columns that demonstrate solidity and “show respect to tradition” (Gardner, p.210). These Corinthian columns, unlike the Greek Corinthian columns, are a mixture of multiple decorative orders – unfluted and not segmented. The shafts flow uninterruptedly from the heavy bases up to the capitals, manifesting a sense of solidity. These …show more content…
The sunlight through the nine-meter-diameter oculus often projects itself on the wall and moves along the coffers as the sun moves across the sky. The Pantheon thus functions like a sundial, reflecting the movement of the heave (Cohen). The rotunda also contains many statues of gods, symbolizing how earthly sphere meets heavenly sphere in such a divine place (Steven, Zucker). There are also 140 coffers on the dome (Moore). These coffers not only help relieve the immense weight of the dome, but also symbolize the heaven (Kleinbauer, p.239). As Norberg-Schulz indicates, the Pantheon “unifies cosmic order and living history” (p.101). It is a place where the divinity is well presented to the people, who, in return, experience another realm of