The Ancient Roman Pantheon – 2000 Years Young And Looking Good
When you are in Rome and you go to see a building from the first century, you expect it to be pretty much in ruins. That is why the Pantheon is such a surprise because it has survived intact all of those centuries and it is the only building of that size, age and span that has been able to do that. But we can’t just say that the Pantheon has done so well because of luck. It is clearly the outcome of genius at work at the engineering level when the Pantheon was envisioned.
Many designers have copied and even equalled the amazing design of this building, but none have done better at introducing true innovation in architecture as the Pantheon did. This is even more phenomenal when you take into account that the building was designed in 125 AD under the Roman emperor Hadrian.
The layout to combine a circular enclosure with a rectangular entrance is amazingly simple and yet brilliant. The entrance utilizes traditional Greek designs of thick granite columns organized in triangular configurations for maximum strength. These huge 39 foot Corinthian supports are organized with eight at the outer level of the portico followed by two sets of four that lead the visitor back into the rotunda of the hall. Thus the rectangular entrance design ties the portico to the rotunda.
That design plan is deceptively simple but phenomenally effective.
One of the most noticeable sections of the building is the huge concrete dome that is the roof of the building. This component of the Pantheon is so well designed that in any other architecture, that heavy dome would have come crashing down ages ago.
That dome is nothing short of massive. At 142 feet in diameter, the Pantheon dome is 46 feet larger than the dome over the White House. At the crown of the dome there is an opening known as the oculus that is 25 feet across. The fact that the dome does not compromise the building and continues to survive after 2000 year is in part due to the design of that oculus and the composition of the dome.
That oculus which is the opening at the top of the dome is one of the many elegant design features that have kept the Pantheon intact for so long. That simple 25 foot opening reduces the weight of the dome and the perfect ring of its circumference distributes the stress of the weight perfectly so it rests on the base without undue stress on any one support.
That opening also allows light into the interior, providing a perfect natural lighting. However it also lets in the elements such as the rain so the floor below is well designed to drain off water accumulation to drains that keep it safely out from underfoot.
Along with the oculus, the tapering steps used in the dome’s design provide more insight into the genius that was at work by the designers of the dome. The dome is thickest at the base where the thickness is 20 feet and made of heavier material than at the oculus where the thickness tapers to 7.5 feet which causes the dome to center and rest on that weight without creating excessive stress on the structure. This kind of engineering might be routine today but seeing such advanced engineering knowledge at work thousands of years ago is awe inspiring.
The result is a building so stable that 2000 years since it was first built, the stability of the structure is rock solid. But that stability was designed and constructed without any modern tools or devices we associate with building today.
Furthermore, the Pantheon engineering team had to bring off this brilliant plan without any sophisticated transpiration resources. That means that everything used in the creation of the building was floated in on the Tiber River and then slowly and laboriously moved by carts to the site using sheer muscle power of men and animals.
The huge bronze doors of the Pantheon have undergone a number of restorations over the years. But there has never been any serious structural repair needed or done to the Pantheon at any time in the history of the building. That record is even more amazing considering that the Pantheon was built on marsh land.
To get perspective, a similar structure that was built on soft ground underneath the structure is the Leaning Tower of Pisa. But unlike the Pantheon, that building has been under virtual non-stop preservation efforts to keep it from falling. In Greece, the Parthenon – although a magnificent structure – is now only a faint memory of the glory of what it was 2000 years ago.
In the eighth century, the Roman Pantheon was adapted to be used as a church. And unlike many ancient sites, the Pantheon was not set aside just to be admired, as it has been in continuous use from the day it opened until our modern time.
Many modern architects have copied the amazing design of the Pantheon. Some famous architecture that was inspired by the Pantheon includes the Thomas Jefferson Rotunda at the University of Virginia as well as the Reading Room of the British Museum.
If you have admired those wonderful buildings, it’s worth it to spend some time seeing the building that inspired them all.
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