classical assessment Essay

Submitted By Teri-Adams
Words: 387
Pages: 2

Glory of Rome

To broadcast to the world, as well as the Roman people, the wealth, success and power of the Roman Empire, an emperor would construct and use architecture/art, for example, the Pantheon. This magnificent building was and is solid evidence of the brilliance and grandeur of the Roman Empire. Emperor Hadrian commissioned for and designed the Pantheon. It was erected as a temple for the Gods and the Imperial family and was dedicated to a man named Marcus Agrippa; the man who built the first Pantheon in 25 AD which stood until it was destroyed by fire in
80 AD.

On the porch (portico) stand the monolith column which supports the gabled roof. These columns were not made or cut in Rome, but were imported from Egypt and were made of Egyptian granite. The outside of the pantheon is plain and unadorned with no detail compared to the inside which is ornamented with tinted marble and bronze mouldings. Embedded within the floor are geometric shapes made with coloured granite and marble. The dome reaches up 143 feet from the ground. The oculus, which is a 27 feet wide round hole at the very top of the dome, directs the sunlight into the temple throughout the day. It is made of pumice, the lightest of building materials, which reduces the weight of the dome. There are coffers with bronze-covered rosettes (squares with flowers) in the dome overhead. The coffers also lighten the weight of the dome.

The sheer size and scale of the Pantheon emphasized the power of