Chris Condon Adopted Piece 10-26-14
1)
The Pantheon
2)
Architect:
Apollodorus of Damascus
3)
126 AD, Roman
Imperial period
4)
Made entirely
of concrete, an unusual medium for a monumental structure of his type at this
time
5)
Rome, Italy
6)
Commissioned by
the Roman emperor Hadrian, built as a temple to all of the Roman gods
7)
First, lighter
variations of the same concrete are used as we move up the structure. At the
base of the building, a basalt-based material was used, while a lighter
pumice-based concrete was employed near the top. The concrete is also thinner
at the top than at the bottom. Second, we move to the oculus at the crest of
the dome. This innovative design was employed to act as a sort of relieving
triangle and to remove weight from the weakest point in the dome. It also acts
to divert the force of gravity to the base of the dome, instead of the weaker
center. Finally, we examine the small indents in the ceiling of the temple,
which are visible in the ceiling of the structure these seemingly stylistic
breaks in the filling of the concrete actually serve to help support the dome.
While removing weight from the immense dome, they are stepped within each
concavity, ultimately preserving the structural integrity of these spots. We
can also observe that in between the indents a sort of lattice-work of supports
are created, giving the building's roof a strong skeletal support system.
8)
The Pantheon,
with its monumental stature and its Greek facade, was an extremely innovative
architectural work in its time. It functioned as an homage to the Roman pantheon
of gods, and what is interesting is that the movement of the sun in the sky
assures that the sun never shines on one statue through the oculus for longer
than another. It's intent, so much like other monumental structures, is not
very clear cut. We do not know if the Romans really believed in this
pseudo-Greek multitude of deities, or if the temple was just intended to assert
the power and majesty of the Emperor.
9)
Economically,
we may draw many parallels between the pantheon and the Parthenon. With both
structures, we observe an era of great prosperity in an area that dominates the
surrounding areas. This points to truly vast amounts of wealth within the
empire at the time of construction. Socio-political circumstances are similar
as well, as we can see in even just the leaders at the time. A strong,
centralized state was present in both societies, and this led to a relatively
stable period in which construction took place. The leaders also debatably used
the temples as a symbol of power and authority, and not simply a place to pay
tribute. Finally, we come to the most evident purpose of the Pantheon:
religion. Although many historians debate over whether Romans really believed
in their Greek-like deities, one thing is for certain: that the gods were very important
to the construction of this work. We see statues of the Gods inside the temple,
which were likely meant to be revered by followers of the official religion of
Rome. The temple has since been converted into one of the most recognizable
Catholic Churches in the world, and will likely stay that way for many years to
come.
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