The Parthenon & Pantheon - Essay Example

The Parthenon and the Pantheon Introduction Both the pantheon and the Parthenon were built as places of worship and were bothused by the people who built them as temples to their Gods. The Parthenon was built between 447 BC and 438 BC by the ancient Greeks whereas the pantheon was built by the Romans between 118 and 128 CE. Thus because of this, we are able to see the influence of the Greeks on the roman art through comparing the two structures. A part from being places of worship the two temples share other common characteristics. However, they also have a number of differences in terms of function, themes and ideology. The two structures still stand today and serve as a proof to the skills of the architect, artisans and administrators who inspired and gave people pride to practice architectural works. Therefore, in this work we compare these two famous historical monuments so as to realize the importance of knowledge of context and culture in understanding and interpreting art. The Parthenon The Parthenon was a temple built by the Greeks on the Athenian Acropolis. It was dedicated to the goddess Athena who was considered by the Greeks as their patron. The construction of Parthenon started in 447 BC and ended in 438 BC, although its decorations went on until 432 BC (Moffett Wodehouse and Fazio, 83). The Parthenon was built to replace the older temple of Athena (pre- Parthenon or older Parthenon) which was destroyed during the Persian invasion of 480 BC. The Parthenon was later on changed into a Christian church in the fifth century AD. The church was dedicated to the Virgin Mary (Moffett Wodehouse and Fazio, 85). However, in 1687, the Parthenon and its sculptures were severely destroyed after an Ottoman Turk ammunition dump in the temple was ignited by the Venetian bombardment. Some of the sculptures that survived the destruction were later sold to the British Museum in London in 1816. The sculptures which came to be known as the Elgin marbles or the Parthenon marbles are now displayed in the museum (Mobile Reference, 112-114). The temple remains the most important surviving building in Greece. Its decorations and sculptures are considered as some of the great art works of the Greeks. The building is regarded as a symbol of democracy and one of the greatest cultural monuments in the world (Moffett Wodehouse and Fazio, 85). The Parthenon was rectangular in shape with a lot of low steps and a colonnade of highly decorated Doric columns around it. The structure was built in the ratio of 4:9 in breath to length. The entire structure including the roof was constructed using fine white marble. It is also important to note that Doric was not just a style of columns but an architectural style. Therefore, the Parthenon was built in Doric style (Mobile Reference, 115). The Pantheon The pantheon was originally built by Marcus Agrippa between 27 and 25 BC. It was built to commemorate the defeat of Antony and Cleopatra by Actium (Bunson 410). However, this original temple was burned down in 80 AD and the pantheon was reconstructed by Emperor Hadrian in 125 AD. Hadrian provided the basic plan, an architectural design for the building. This second temple was dedicated to all the Roman gods (DuTemple 16). The pantheon was dedicated to the church of St. Mary and the Martyrs in 609 AD by pope Boniface IV. This dedication prevented it from being destroyed like other pagan temples and enabled it to survive the middle-Ages (Bunson 410). The pantheon gave the Romans pride and reaffirmed their strength and wealth (DuTemple 9). The pantheon design was highly influenced by the Greek because the Romans highly admired art and architecture of the Greeks. The influence is evident in construction of the portico in front of the structure. The portico is rectangular in shape and utilizes the columns of the Corinthian order. The pantheon is circular in shape. It consists of a portico, a porch which leads to the entrance, with huge columns made of granite. The columns are Corinthian in style. The Corinthian style originated from the Greeks thus showing that the design of the pantheon was influenced by the Greek culture. The pantheon is topped with a dome and was built with granite and concrete. Granite was used to build the columns and concrete was used most parts of the rest of the building. From the inside of the building it is decorated with cylinder and the inner dome gives it the sense of space and regeneration. The pantheon is made up a round opening (the oculus) that serves as the only source of natural light in the building (Bunson 410). Similar Elements between the Parthenon and Pantheon Both the pantheon and the Parthenon were built as temples dedicated to the worship of the Gods. And, although few are present today, the two temples contained elegant sculptures of their Gods. Since their construction, the two structures have influenced future building styles, for instance second bank of the United States was influenced by Parthenon and the home of former president of the United States, Thomas Jefferson, and the use of domed structures today were influenced by the pantheon. Moreover, these two structures have also served as a sign of great strength and wealth of the people (Pahl 90-91). In terms of architecture, the two structures also share some similar designs and construction materials. For example, just like the Parthenon, the pantheon utilized a rectangular base for its portico. And although the pantheon had a rotunda, the design of its portico was similar to the rectangular shape of the Parthenon. In addition, the roof of the Parthenon and the portico utilized the same roof design called the a-frame design. The two structures also used white marbles in their construction, that is, the Parthenon used marble in its entire structure and the pantheon used it as a laminate over its concrete walls. Finally, both structures had stairs in their entrances, although those of pantheons are today hidden away by street constructions (Pahl 93). Contrasting Features of the Parthenon and Pantheon The main difference between the two structures is that the pantheon utilizes a round rotunda with a domed ceiling whereas the Parthenon does not (Bunson 410). In addition, although they all have columns, the columns of pantheon are of the Corinthian order and those of the Parthenon are of the Doric order. The two structures also differ in the carvings of the entablatures. The entablatures of the pantheon use carvings of rectangular patterns and names whereas those of the Parthenon utilize carvings of their gods, people and mythic creatures. The other difference is that although the two structures are made of white marbles, the pantheon also uses concrete in most of its structures for support. The pantheon also contains oculus (opening on the roof) in its dome whereas the Parthenon has no opening in its roof. Last but not least, is that whereas the Roman god statues were housed in apse like structures, those of the Parthenon were left out in the open areas or between internal columns that helped in supporting the roof. Conclusion The Roman architecture was inspired by the Greeks as observed in their buildings such as the pantheon. However, it is the Romans who diversified the architectural work. Their diversity in construction was majorly influenced by the new technology of using concrete in their constructions. This new technology enabled the Romans to come up with different designs some of which included the circular rotundas and the domed ceiling. The two structures-pantheon and Parthenon played a major role in the future architectural designs that followed and still stand up to today. Today the two structures are spots of high tourism attractions. They attract million of visitors each year and inspire many. Work Cited Bunson Matthew. Encyclopedia of the Roman Empire (2nd edit). Nevada, Las Vegas: InfoBase Publishing, 2002. DuTemple A. Lesley. The Pantheon. Minneapolis; Minnesota: Lerner Publications, 2003. MobileReference. Art History Guide for Smartphones and Mobile Devices. Boston: MobileReference, 2007. Moffett Marian, Fazio W. Michael and Wodehouse Lawrence. A World History of Architecture. Oxford, London: Laurence King Publishing, 2003. Pahl H. Ron. Breaking Away from the Textbook: Creative Ways to Teach World History: Prehistory Ot 1600. Fullerton, California: R&L Education, 2011. Read More