The Pantheon boasts the largest unsupported concrete dome in the world The old architect unwisely advised the emperor to leave architecture to the professionals, which earned him a one-way ticket to exile and a lonely death. A keen amateur architect himself, Cassius Dio recounts that one day Hadrian came to Apollodorus with one of his designs. Unfortunately for Hadrian’s virtuoso master builder, the blandishments of an emperor can be fickle things. When the emperor Hadrian had a new temple built on the same site by his master architect Apollodorus of Damascus in 126 A.D., he modestly retained Agrippa’s inscription. The consul Marcus Agrippa did indeed commission a grandiloquent temple here during the reign of Augustus, but it burned down. Unfortunately, the inscription isn’t quite true. The inscription carved into the temple is misleadingĮmblazoned in massive letters across the portico of the Pantheon is an unambiguous message of authorship : M. There is no firm evidence of ancient cult buildings designed to worship the entire pantheon of gods in one place, and writing just 100 years after its inauguration the Roman historian Cassius Dio opined that the building had been so titled instead ‘because its dome resembles the heavens.’ But whatever the exact identity of the deities worshipped at the Pantheon, the incredible temple is certainly a worthy home for any and all gods that choose to make it home! 2. As Rome’s grandest and most impressive temple, the Pantheon was originally decorated with statues representing the greatest gods of Roman religion, but whether the Pantheon was explicitly dedicated to the entirety of the Roman deities is unclear. Pantheon means ‘all gods’ in Greek, but the exact function of the great edifice is still shrouded in mystery. The Pantheon was (perhaps) ancient Rome’s temple to all the gods To celebrate the upcoming launch of our virtual tour of the Pantheon, here’s our guide to 9 things you need to know about the venerable building. The best preserved ancient building in the city, and possible anywhere on earth, the iconic edifice offers a fascinating window into the 2,000-year story of Rome. Of all the magnificent monuments that dot the landscape of Rome’s historic centre, perhaps none is more evocative or speaks as clearly to the lyrical grandeur of the Eternal City than the Pantheon.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |