The Parthenon from 447-432 BCE in Greece and the Pantheon from 118-126 AD in Italy
were commissioned by two influential statesmen in their respective times. The Parthenon by
Pericles and the Pantheon by Marcus Agrippa. Both buildings were built as temples, but took on
different styles of the classical era representative of their cultures’ place and time.
The Parthenon in Athens, Greece was built on the ruins of the Acropolis during an era of
peace after the Peloponnesian War. It was a tribute to the Greek goddess Athena, considered the
virgin patron of the people of Athens, for the defeat of the Medes, and built as a replacement for
two earlier temples of Athena on the Acropolis. It is a mix of Doric peripteral temple with some
with Ionic
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elements. The temple’s floor plan is rectangular, with an octostyle colonnade and periphery of Doric, fluted columns.
The upper-part of the structure is characterized by the series
of triglyphs, metopes and reliefs on the entablature.
The Pantheon in Rome, Italy was built as a tribute to all of the Roman gods. It was rebuilt
twice – coming to entomb the great artist Rafael, composer Arcangelo Corelli and several Italian
kings, then converted into a Catholic church dedicated to St. Mary and other martyrs. It was the
first temple to combine classical Greek architecture with Roman concrete construction methods.
The base of the temple consists of a classical rectangle, with a symmetric portico and Corinthian
columns. It is topped with a dome formed by concentric rings – the first of its kind (Partheon,
Rome, 2016).
In conclusion, the Parthenon and Pantheon were both used for religious purposes, with the
Parthenon functioning as a temple to the Greek god Athena and the Pantheon functioning as a
temple to all the Roman gods. Both buildings used a classical style – with columns, symmetry,
Written Assignment Unit 2 2
an open floor-space, a pronaos (front porch) and art in the metopes, triglyphs and pediment
(Silverman, n.d.). However, the temples were constructed at different times, with the
Parthenon taking advantage of the Doric and Ionic order and the Pantheon taking advantage of the Corinthian order. Additionally, while the Parthenon was a rectangular structure, the Pantheon was had a pronaos that open up into a circular structure with an oculus. Both buildings were placed at the highest point in their cities to be seen far away by people and close to heavens by the god
The Parthenon was an amazing and important temple. Dedicated to Athena, the goddess of war and wisdom, it was a very important temple to the Greeks. Greeks worshiped all of their gods by building temples for them and giving sacrifices. Most of the sacrifices were sacred tiles designed especially for the gods, not many were human.
This week’s unit 2 assignment objective is to discuss the similarities and differences in culture as seen via the Parthenon and Pantheon. Both structures were great buildings of their time. They represented the spirituality of ancient Greeks and Romans. The Parthenon of Athens, Greece was a building. While the Pantheon celebrated the gods of Romans.
Pantheon and Hagia Sophia Pantheon and Hagia Sophia are two extremely outstanding architectural pieces of their times. They have been built according to the traditions of those particular times. The materials used to built these buildings and the purpose for which they were used are all very important aspects and have been briefly covered in this report. Pantheon The statesman Agrippa built pantheon in 27 B.C. Then it was completely rebuilt by the emperor Hadrian. The Pantheon is remarkable for its size, its construction, and its design. The dome was the largest built until modern times. The present structure was probably originally built as a temple for all the pagan gods. We do hear of it as being a law-court and a reception area for Emperor Hadrian meeting his quests too. Some say that the rotunda of the building was once a Roman bath. Due to all this mystery, the Pantheon is often referred to as the Sphinx of Rome. The visitor will probably not appreciate the construction as much as the Flavian amphitheatre, but it is still a great masterpiece of engineering and well worth a visit. Most Roman and Greek temples at the time of the Pantheon's construction were large, colonnaded, rectangular enclosures with sanctuaries situated in their centers. The Pantheon was different. It consisted of a large circular drum topped with a hemispherical dome. It is a masterpiece of both engineering and art a lasting memory of Ancient Rome’s might. Roman architecture is architecture of wall and enclosed tactile space. Individual column with entablature is no longer the basic architectural unity. Spatially, it shows a development from closed, simple space units and regular articulation to more complex spatial relations, more fluid interpenetrati...
The Roman Pantheon built by the Romans using advanced engineering skills combined a cylindrical structure with an outer colonnade Greek classical design to make an architectural monument. The amount of time and effort that went into the building of this structure shows a cultural emphasis on quality workmanship and perfectionism. This workmanship and perfectionism showed the importance given to the worship and honoring of the Gods. This pantheon is the only active place of worship amongst Rome’s ancient temples still in existence. Modern commentators tend to view the building as a high point in an "architectural revolution" brought about mainly through the Roman development of a superior pozzolana concrete that lent itself to the forming of unitary, three-dimensional structures. Other factors cited for the technical success of the Pantheon include the use of a series of massive, concentric stepped rings and the lightening of the dome by coffering and gradated light-weight aggregates. ( Mark, Robert, and Paul Hutchinson, 1986) The concrete dome was one of the world’s largest unreinforced concrete builds for over a millennium until the modern era. The success of the Pantheon longevity was largely attributed to acquired new techniques of construction and materials that shaped the development of Roman construction technology. This allowed for the use
Brief History Though the Persian wars were possibly over before the Parthenon was being considered, the wars played a vital role for Athens and her temples. During the wars, the armies of Persia attacked Athens and sacked the city leaving much of it in ruins, including the new temple in honour of Athene atop the Acropolis that was under construction. During the struggle, many of the states in Greece joined together to fight against the Persians and decided that they should not rebuild any of the temples that had been destroyed by the Persians to have an eternal memory of the devastation they caused and the lack of respect they have for religion. The once impressive city of Athens was reduced to dust, with small basic houses and nothing really imposing.
As one of the greatest structures in Rome, the Pantheon was built between 118 and 128 CE. It is described as the most remarkable ancient building surviving in Rome. After being destroyed and rebuilt twice, it was renamed the “Temple of the Gods”. In 126 AD, the Pantheon was restored to its glory, by the architects who at that time has learned and mastered their craft in concrete construction in the Greek Classical order. They constructed a massive 25 foot thick walls which was to support the huge dome made of concrete to be placed at the top. The dome was the largest ever made of unreinforced concrete at 43.4 meters in diameter (Matthews, Roy and Platt pg. 5).
The Greek Parthenon was a triumph of its time. Its practical function has given shape to buildings ever since. It was used as a bank, civic center, temple and museum. These are the kinds of buildings that line modern streets. Its rustic style gave way to domes and Corinthian columns but its fundamental design continues through the ages. As for the Pantheon, it still stands as a marvelous museum because of its strength in design and awe inspiring shape.
Greek palaces and temples, consisting of massive columns, were built for the gods or other religious purposes. The temples found at the center of the polis, the acropolis, were made as earthen dwellings for the gods, a place for storage of sacred objects and offerings, and also served out tasks for the polis such as keeping records. Temples, along with other sacred places were sometimes only open to certain peoples or cults, and people who were not ritually purified or had “religious pollution” were not allowed to enter sacred places (Adkins & Adkins 338). The fact that the religion centers are in the middle of the cities symbolizes how Greek religion was central to Grecian life, it was one of the most important things to them. The temples also represent the architectural and cultural achievements of the Greeks. The magnificent style of these temples has influenced not only Greece but the whole world as Grecian columns have been a staple in architecture since there creation; this is even evident in the United States with buildings such as the United States Capitol, built hundreds of years after the establishment of Ancient Grecian architecture. Along with architecture, Greek art, most notably pottery and sculpture, was also influenced by religion. Greek pottery, depicting mythological and heroic scenes, and statues, portraying the human form often made in the image of gods,
The amazing feat of building the Parthenon only took eleven years, with work on the sculptures continuing a few years longer. It stands on the foundation of the original Parthenon, on which building was started in 490BCE, but which was destroyed by the Persians before its completion. Surprisingly, there are very few straight structural elements and right angles in the entire construction, yet every piece was shaped to the 10th of a millimeter. It is in fact designed to be an optical illusion, having very few straight lines or right angles, yet it looks perfectly straight, and every angle appears to be a perfect right angle. The columns are angled in slightly, so that if they were one mile tall, they would meet in the middle of the Parthenon. The marble floor of the Parthenon is slightly curved, which is part of the optical illusion, but also possibly served the purpose of letting rain water run off the
The Parthenon is a remarkable temple-like structure that demonstrates the growth of Greek wealth and power while also symbolizing the incredible beauty of workmanship in architecture and art. After the Persian Wars the Greeks built the Parthenon as a monument to the Goddess Athena. They believed that Athena had helped them in winning the wars and that building the Parthenon was a great way to gratify Athena, showcase the wealth and power of the city Athens and introduce a new Greece to the world. Leading into the new Greece the Parthenon was the first of its kind and introduced new forms of architectural styles through its complex and proportionate temple and its beautifully scaled sculptures.
The Parthenon is an amazing Greek temple that was built 2,500 years ago. Even the architects of today have numerous questions about how it was constructed and how it has held up through its eventful past. The Parthenon's detailed appearance is not its only meaningful quality. The Parthenon was constructed as a temple to the goddess, Athena, and as an icon of the Greek people themselves. The Parthenon represents the Greek ideals of humanism, idealism, and rationalism.
Our team hoped that the earthquake had brought lost Greek artifacts, such as ceramics, closer to the surface. One day, as I combed over where the ancient villages used to stand, I discovered what I believe to solve the mystery of the Athena Parthenos. The Athena Parthenos was a forty foot high statue built by the Greek architect Phidias, in 438 B.C. The statue was dedicated to the Greek goddess, Athena, and placed in the Parthenon.
The Parthenon was built during the Golden age in Athens, Greece. The Parthenon is made of mainly columns; there is a 9:4 ratio. It was almost destroyed in war; the ruins that remained were dedicated to Athena. The purpose of the Parthenon was to house the statue of Athena, made of ivory and gold, and also Athena’s treasure. The ratios and the equations used to make the Parthenon were used as a sign of the harmony in the natural world around us. The mathematical harmony in the world shows how we can work with the world rather than destroy to make it what we want. The Parthenon also has no straight lines. The columns of the Parthenon are angled going up getting smaller the higher they get. This was done so that you could get the best lighting
The end of the Geometric period resulted in the beginning of the Orientalizing Period, dated between 700-600 BC. Within this time frame, Greek introduced a new innovation, the Peripteral Temple. For many years prior, a row of colonnade was used on the interior primarily to hold up the roof of the building. In contrast, columns are seen being used on the outside, creating a visual wall around the building exposing parts of the interior. With in the temple existed the megaron style, carried forward from Bronze Age homes. It was also in eastern influenced period, the first real stone temples, and terra cotta roof tiles came to exist to hold the weight on these new stone temples. The population grew drastically, introducing new techniques and styles, which blended to form designs with balance and symmetry. It was during this period, two major Greek designs were developed, the Ionic and Doric order. (Pedley, 2012: pg. 180) The Doric order, being the first and most simple, consisted of baseless columns placed closely together as the Greeks did not know how much weight the shortened columns could hold. Reason behind this was the lack of length in the columns were believed to hold less weight and therefore forced into being placed closer together. This closely set arrangement created a very bold statement in the Doric temple. The Capital, which sat on top of the concaved shaped shaft, was left plain but when grouped alongside others, suggested a bold harmony. In contrast, the Ionic order was less bulky and more delicate than the Doric order. The top of the capital is decorated with two scrolls, also known as volutes, which could have resembled a shell or animal horns. Above the capital, held room for a surrounding frieze depictin...
During the Hellenistic period, you find the first monument built to celebrate someone who was not a general, god, or ruler. The Monument to Iysicrates is located in Athens, and is the first time a Corthinian column is used on the exterior. There was not a lot of money to spend on new temples but they still managed to build the Temple of Zeus Olympius. There is not much left of it today but it was huge. This temple was decastyle, meaning ten columns across, and the columns were sixty-five feet tall.