Comparing The Pantheon And Colosseum

From the Egyptians to Romans, architecture achievements of the ancient world have left a huge impression on todays modern world. They all have left a tremendous impression on modern civilizations. There are numerous architectural monuments to write about. In this essay I will be discussing about the Pantheon and Colosseum, the famous architectural buildings of the Roman Civilization. I will discuss the history, significance, and analyze the qualities of the architecture.

The Pantheon is the best preserved Roman building from Ancient Rome.It is the third building and the building was built during Hadrian’s reign; the first Pantheon was commissioned by Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa (27-25 BCE) and the second one by Domitian (Cartwright “Pantheon”).

In 80 CE the first one was destroyed by fire and in 110 CE the second was destroyed by lightning that burnt it down (Cartwright “Pantheon”). The third pantheon was commissioned during the reign of Trajan and completed in the reign of Hadrian during 125 CE (Cartwright “Pantheon”). The exact purpose of this building is not known, most likely the Pantheon was a place where the “Roman emperor could make public appearances in a setting which reminded onlookers of his divine status, equal with the other gods of the Roman pantheon and his deified emperor predecessors”. (Cartwright “Pantheon”).
The Pantheon is remarkable in its construction and has stood the test of time. The Pantheon has existed for over 18 centuries (Moore). The Pantheon was constructed using concrete without using steel rods (Moore). Furthermore, the Concrete that the Romans used was considerably weaker than todays concrete (Moore). Todays engineers would never attempt to construct a structure like the Pantheon without using steel rods (Moore). This shows the how well the construction of the Pantheon was executed.
The great painter Michelangelo described the design of the Pantheon as “Angelic and not human design” (Moore).The building consists of two parts-the porch and the circular main building or the rotunda (Cartwright “Pantheon”). The porch is Classical Greek in presentation while the circular main building is more Roman in style (Cartwright “Pantheon”). The porch has eight corinthian columns standing 11.8 meters high (Cartwright “Pantheon”). The fascinating part of the Pantheon is its interior. The main entrance has double bronze doors which stand 6.4m high (Moore). The height from floor to the top of the dome is 43.2 meters which is exactly the diameter of the rotunda (Cartwright “Pantheon”). The top of the dome has an opening called the oculus which is 8 meters in diameter and is decorated with bronze sheet frieze (Cartwright “Pantheon”). Furthermore, the oculus is a unique feature that creates a beautiful light well at center of the rotunda (Moore). The dome also has 5 rings of 28 coffers which reduce in size as it gets closer to the center (Cartwright “Pantheon”). This feature also helps the lighten the interior (Cartwright “Pantheon”). The walls have seven alcoves and is 6 meters in thickness.