The Sun In The Pantheon's Design And Meaning

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The Pantheon is a magnificent architectural sculpture located Rome. It was originally constructed by Agrippa in 27-25 BCE under Augustus’s reign but later burned around 80 CE under Domitian and burned again in 110 CE because of a lightning strike. The Pantheon that is seen today was reconstructed in 118-128 ca. a.d. under Hadrian’s rule. It is a temple to the gods Mars, Venus and the Emperor Julius Caesar. Historians know a lot about the Pantheon regarding the architectural structure, but the function of it is quite unclear. The Pantheon is a circular building with a porch made of granite columns attached to it. The dome within the building has what is known as an oculus which is a circular opening; it reminds me of an eye. The opening resembles the heavens, since all that can be seen on a clear sunny day is the beautiful blue sky. Robert Hannah and Giulio Magil, undertook the task of finding a real connection and use of the Pantheon. In their article titled “The Role of the Sun in the Pantheon’s Design and Meaning”, they were able to discover …show more content…

The Romans construct an architectural structure that incorporated the sunbeam into something even bigger. I believe that the Pantheon was a clear symbolic image of the path of the sun throughout the course of the year. The Pantheon also served as an example for later models, which used the sun as a medium of convening and illuminating certain days of the year and intentionally created a style and a way expressing a message without literally expressing it such as the Octagonal Room of the Golden House of Nero. I believe that the Romans were far more intelligent than any previous culture that existed. The Romans have showed to be a superior culture, with intellectual skills in art, architecture, and

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