Parthenon Vs Pantheon Research Paper

The Parthenon of Athens, built from 447 – 432 BCE and The Pantheon of Rome, built between 118 – 125 AD, are two structures which share many architectural features despite being built nearly 600 years apart. Both structures were built as replacements for structures which had been previously destroyed (the original building at the center of the Acropolis complex where The Parthenon now exists was destroyed in 480 BCE by invading Persians, and The original Pantheon was destroyed by fire in 80 AD). Both buildings were originally built as temples, but the way in which they would be used was quite different.
When looking at the façade of both buildings it is clear they are both built in the traditional Doric style and feature 8 columns along the portico. Certain aspects of The Parthenon had to be built larger than customary to accommodate the massive statue of Athena it was to house. Since The Parthenon, like all Greek temples, was designed to be viewed from the outside only, special attention was given to the size and position of the columns making those on the outside fractionally larger than those on the interior to offset the difference in appearance of the center columns against the static background of the stone versus those on the outside against the horizon.
The Parthenon, while not the largest temple in Greece, is notable because so many classical …show more content…
Great bronze doors lead into the cella to a magnificent rotunda which is formed by the eight intersecting arches (a technique perfected by the Romans). The designers of The Pantheon, like their Greek predecessors, paid strict attention to detail, including the appreciation of mathematics which was expressed in the dimension and scale of the building. Illumination for the interior of The Pantheon is provided by the occulus in the roof, which is never closed and allows rainwater to enter the