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| The Pantheon |
WHAT IS THE PANTHEON? The Pantheon is a former Roman temple, now a church, in Rome, Italy, on the site of an earlier temple commissioned by Marcus Agrippa during the reign of Augustus.
The Roman Pantheon is the most preserved and influential building of ancient Rome. It is a Roman temple dedicated to all the gods of pagan Rome.
WHERE IS IT? Piazza della Rotonda, 00186 Roma, Italy
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| Emperor Hadrian |
HOW OLD IS IT? As the brick stamps on the side of the building reveal it was built and dedicated between A.D 118 and 125.
WHO BUILT THE PANTHEON? - According to Rome.Info, The emperor Hadrian (A.D 117-138) built the Pantheon to replace Augustus’ friend and Commander Marcus Agrippa’s Pantheon of 27 B.C. which burnt to the ground in 80 A.D.
When approaching the front of the Pantheon one can see the inscription above still reads in Latin the original dedication by Marcus Agrippa. The inscription reads:
"M. AGRIPPA.L.F.COSTERTIUM.FECIT”
“Marcus Agrippa son of Lucius, having been consul three times made it”.
Despite all the marvelous building projects that the emperor Hadrian produced during his reign, he never inscribed his name to any, but one, the temple of his father Trajan. That is why the Roman Pantheon bears the inscription of Marcus Agrippa, and not the emperor Hadrian.
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| 2000 year old Marble floors |
ADMIRING THE AMAZING ARCHITECTURE - The structure of the Pantheon is comprised of a series of intersecting
arches.
The arches rest on eight piers which support eight round-headed arches
which run through the drum from its inner to its outer face.
The arches correspond to the eight bays on the floor level that house
statues.The dome itself is supported by a series of arches that run horizontally round. Romans had perfected the use of arches which helped sustain the weight of their magnanimous buildings. The Romans were aware of the heavy nature of their building materials. So they used lighter materials toward the top of the dome.
DIFFERENT MATERIALS USED - On the lowest level travertine, the heaviest material was used, then a
mixture of travertine and tufa, then tufa and brick,
then all brick was used around the drum section of the dome, and finally
pumice, the lightest and most porous of materials on the ceiling of the
dome.
This use of lighter materials on top alleviated the immense weight of the dome.
WHO IS BURIED IN THE PANTHEON? - The Italian kings Vittorio Emanuele II and Umberto I as well as the famous Renaissance painter Raphael and his fiancée are buried in the Pantheon.
NEXT: The Pantheon and Pizza
THEN: Roman Gods in the Pantheon
A 2 Minute Video View: https://youtu.be/ExwRrjE4kRQ
