Throughout early civilization many of the monuments that were constructed, were built not just to serve functional purposes but also symbolic of their past and current culture. Parthenon in Athens and Pantheon in Rome are widely recognized as two of the most influential structures. Considering the differences in structures both the Romans and Greeks architecture have been recognized for its superiority revered and adopted by many current day architects.
432 B.C. was the year the Parthenon in Athens was completed. Located on the highest part of Acropolis of Athens the Parthenon was originally devoted to the goddess Athena. The Parthenon originally went into construction around 447 BC. During this…show more content… The temple stood some 228 feet high and 101 feet wide. Pentelic white marble was used throughout the temple and its enormous foundation was made out of limestone, which exemplifies the Greeks quest for perfection. While the temple itself was consistent on the Doric order it did bear a few ionic elements. There are a total of 46 columns located along the outer and inner perimeter; exterior columns standing slightly taller tapered towards the top. Just above the Doric columns two styles commonly used in Greek temples is the triglyph and metopes. Triglyph are vertically channeled tablets and the rectangular recessed spaces between are called metopes. Previously when the Greeks were building temples out of wood, the triglyphs were located towards the ends of the beams of the roof. The metopes were the recessed spaces between the beams. The carved metopes convey the story of the battle between Greeks against the Amazon. Each of the four cycles east, west, north and south depicted “the tension between the civilized and uncivilized worlds, between order and chaos; and all are therefore allegories for the Athenian victory over the Persians” (135). The temple…show more content… Pantheon meaning “all the gods of a people or religion” naturally one would surmise the origin of the temple was to commemorate or consecrated to the gods. Originally constructed during the Roman Empire between the years of 25-27 BC by Marcus Agrippa based on Hellenistic concept. Agrippa was a brilliant engineer who designed other monuments including the Pont de Gard aqueduct in France as well. Unfortunately the original Pantheon did not survive Rome’s innumerable fires; it was destroyed in the year of 80 CE by fire and lighting post reconstruction. The current day structure of the Pantheon was commissioned by the emperor Hadrian between the years of 117 and 125 CE. The dome shaped building stands at 142ft high, supported by 16 massive Corinthian columns made from concrete was used to support the portico weighing 60 tons each. Geometric inspired patterns throughout the marble floors. The temple was surrounded by enormous niches, which housed the statues of the Roman gods Mars, Mercury, Venus and Jupiter. During the 6th century the temple was converted into a Church dedicated to St. Mary and now operates as a museum; honoring several important Italian
