ipl-logo

Hadrian's Pantheon

990 Words4 Pages

According to William L. MacDonald, who wrote the book The Pantheon: Design, Meaning, and Progeny, “Hadrian’s Pantheon is one of the grand architectural creations of all time: original, utterly bold, many-layered in associations and meaning, the container of a kind of immanent universality.” While Hadrian was not the architect of the very first Pantheon, he was the architect of the one that stands today. The first Pantheon was started in 27 BC by Marcus Vispanius Agrippa. It was unfortunately destroyed by a fire in 80 CE. The second Pantheon was commissioned by Domitian, but it was struck by lightning in 110 CE and burned down as well. In 118 AD, Hadrian completely rebuilt it and made it the majestic beauty that it is today. The pantheon …show more content…

This temple was the largest temple in Ancient Rome, and was dedicated to the goddess Venus Felix, known as the Bringer of Good Fortune, and Roma Aeterna, Eternal Rome. Hadrian’s design was finalized in 121 when construction began, and he introduced it to Rome in 135. However, because of how incredibly detailed and massive the temple was, Hadrian did not live to see the completion of it, as it was completed under the reign of his successor, Antoninus Pius, in 141 AD. This temple measured 53m wide and 110m long, sitting on a platform that measured 140m wide and 145m long. Inside the temple one would find two different cellae, sacred inner chambers. One contained the statue of Venus Felix, and the other contained the statue of Roma Aeterna. This temple was unique in the fact that it was the only temple in Rome to have 10 columns along the front. Hadrian took much pride in his architectural designs, as he should have considering lavish and incredible each one was. Hadrian asked one of the most famous architects at the time, Apollodorus of Damascus to comment on the temple. Apollodorus replied in a rather blunt and honest manner, and told Hadrian that “the temple was too low and the statues of the gods too tall for the space they occupied,” according the University of Chicago. This offended Hadrian to great lengths, and shortly after this conversation occurred, Apollodorus was banished and later put to death, allegedly. This incredible temple suffered a devastating fire and earthquake, but just from what remains of it today, we can tell just how insurmountable the temple must have seemed to an architect in ancient

Show More
Related

  • The Parthenon: Athena Goddess Of War And Wisdom

    1058 Words  | 5 Pages

    Athena Goddess of War and Wisdom, it takes a tremendous and strong woman to get a title like that. When reading about the Parthenon; like the construction, the history, and of course the statues, you really can understand how appreciative Greeks were back in Ancient times. The Parthenon was created to house the appreciated women, Athena’s statue. What is the history behind Goddess Athena; that brought so much pride and joy to the Greeks, with her title being so harsh and forceful to deserving a twelve meters high statue and temple dedication. In this paper I will explain to you, who this woman with very extravagant helmet was.

    Read More

  • Antoninus Pius Titus Aurelius

    601 Words  | 3 Pages

    Historians consider The Temple of Divus Antoninus Pius and Diva Faustina to be one of Antoninus Pius greatest creations. It is the best preserved building in the Roman Forum. It is located east of the Basilica Emilia, facing the Via Sacra. It was built by Antoninus Pius when his wife Faustina died in 141 AD. The dedicatory inscription was made in two steps.

    Read More

  • Greek Influence On Roman Culture

    291 Words  | 2 Pages

    An example of the architecture in Rome is the rectangular Ionic temple of "Fortuna Virilis" built late second to mid-first century BCE which is a

    Read More

  • The Pantheon Vs Parthenon

    1397 Words  | 6 Pages

    Two very important historic buildings from the Greek and Roman civilizations, namely the Parthenon and the Pantheon respectively, are worthy of academic exploration. An analysis of their function and style will help to put their design and features into perspective, and create a better appreciation for their emulation in Western civilization. These buildings possess very unique individual characteristic designs, which bears testimony to the societies from which they originate. However, they are also a resourceful database of knowledge in terms of their symbolism, rich heritage of their era and application to the present civilization.

    Read More

  • Michelangelo And The Pope's Ceiling Analysis

    1654 Words  | 7 Pages

    His model consisted of over forty life-size statues which were decorated with pillar and arches (King 3). At first, the pope was as excited as Michelangelo however, after the marbles arrived in Rome, Pope Julius put the construction of his tomb on hold (King 8) and focused on the Sistine Chapel. Michelangelo did not take this sudden shift of plan very well. He

    Read More

  • What Was Hadrian's Wall

    204 Words  | 1 Pages

    All of the buildings were designed and built by the Roman soldiers themselves, they were trained to do so and the army had its own skilled engineers who designed the wall. So much of the wall has survived and is a testament to their building skills. For example, when the Picts nearly destroyed the wall three times, but on every attempt it was rebuilt by the Romans. But For nearly 250 years, Hadrian’s Wall was being patrolled and guarded by top flight, soldiers right on the very outer edge of the Roman Empire.

    Read More

  • The Pantheon Research Paper

    1835 Words  | 8 Pages

    An online metaphysics scientist states that The Pantheon was “originally built as a temple to the seven deities of the seven planets in the Roman state religion, but which has been a Christian church since the 7th century.” (Crystalinks, “The Roman Pantheon”) The original Pantheon had baths and water gardens. Emperor Hadrian put large statues of Augustus and Agrippa near the entrance as a dedication to the original builders of the Pantheon. In the 6th century, Byzantine Emperor Phocas, gave the Pantheon to Pope Boniface and it has been used as a church ever since.

    Read More

  • The Importance Of The Sistine Chapel

    983 Words  | 4 Pages

    It is often regarded that words do not do justice for historical structures because of their unexplainable nature. This proves true for many landmarks throughout Europe; however, the Vatican is one that has been deemed “a dagger in the heart of Italy”(Paine). The Vatican dates back to the 4th century when the construction began and has since served as a centerpiece of the Catholic Church (History.com). Within Vatican City, travelers often visit locations such as St. Peter’s Basilica, the Vatican Library or St. Peter 's Square, however, I believe that the Sistine Chapel is an essential location to visit because of the symbolism embedded within the chapel.

    Read More

  • King David Research Paper

    1738 Words  | 7 Pages

    He even had a man named Hiram come and craft two nearly twenty-three feet tall bronze pillars to place by the vestibule of the temple. All in all the building was magnificent and one can only imagine how expensive and beautiful it was. Nevertheless, the most essential part of the temple was the Ark of the Covenant placed under gold covered cherubim statues in the inner sanctuary. The Israelites finally had an official place to worship their creator. By Solomon’s hand, The Lord’s promised temple had come to

    Read More

  • Reliefs In Roman Emperors

    209 Words  | 1 Pages

    Roman rulers often depicted events from real life and from mythology on their public monuments and architecture, such as their arches and temples. For example, Emperor Augustus featured mythological references in his reliefs that connected his reign to gods such as Apollo and that suggested he was connect to the long history of the Roman people. Roman emperors also constructed sculptures with reliefs in different parts of their vast empire to broadcast their supremacy over conquered subjects. An example is the arch the Romans built in Orange, France, to celebrate their squashing of a rebellion, and Hadrian’s Wall, built in England, was a reminder of Roman power that also served a defensive function. Later, the Emperor Trajan constructed public

    Read More

  • How Did Justinian Influence The Byzantine Empire

    434 Words  | 2 Pages

    During this time, Justinian considered leaving the capital, but stayed by Theodora's urging. The riots were stopped by the generals Belisarius and Mundus in 532, but many religious and political centres had been burned down. Following the riots, Justinian started a campaign to rebuild and remake Constantinople. One of biggest success of this program was the rebuilding of the Hagia Sophia, which had been burned down. The church's designers, Anthemius of Tralles and Isidorus of Miletus had training in mathematics, physics, and engineering led to building a revolutionary, new cathedral who's domed roofs and great structure set

    Read More

  • Compare Parthenon And Pantheon

    885 Words  | 4 Pages

    through 432 B.C while that of Pantheon was constructed much later in 126AD. The difference in the time of construction suggests the reason Pantheon building is looking more recent than the Parthenon building. The Parthenon building is located in Athens while Pantheon is located in Rome. The Column pillars of Parthenon was made of Doric and ironic order while Pantheon was built with Corinthians columns. Granite columns used in the Pantheon building were actually quarried in Egypt while the columns of Parthenon building were constructed in Athens with all the sculptural work of art (Moore, 2004; Silverman,

    Read More

  • Essay On The Pantheon

    1893 Words  | 8 Pages

    The pantheon, built by the emperor Hadrian, was symbolically important. It was designed as a temple for all the roman gods. Nearly perfect in its shape, the vast dome represented the heavens which were seen by Romans as an enormous sphere. (The Pantheon, Lesley A. Dutemple. 2003).

    Read More

  • The Roman Colosseum

    872 Words  | 4 Pages

    During the beginning of construction to the end of the renovations, it was known as the Flavian dynasty under the above three emperors. The Colosseum is the largest amphitheater ever built. It spread over six acres and was 640 Roman feet long and 528 Roman feet wide. The outer walls stood an at 165 Roman feet high. The outer walls were set in place without using mortar to seal the stones together.

    Read More

  • Egyptian Wall Painting

    1175 Words  | 5 Pages

    animal glue, etc.) to achieve the adhesion between the particles and consequently to be applied as paint film on the dry ground. The pigment must be dispersed or grinded as evenly as possible in the binding medium to take full advantage of the properties of both the pigment and the binder.[8] The typical stratigraphic structure of the Egyptian wall paintings is usually made of multiple layers. The plastering procedure was to initially smooth an irregular rock surface with one or more of plaster layers.

    Read More

More about Hadrian's Pantheon

Open Document