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WA2. The Parthenon and the Pantheon

Look at and read a little about two famous Greek and Roman buildings, the Parthenon in Athens and the Pantheon in Rome. You may want to use the links below to start, but feel free to use others too.

In an essay consider:

  • How does the style and function (use) of each building serve as a typical example of its culture?
  • How are the similarities and differences between ancient Greece and Rome seen in these two buildings?

Answer

The Greek culture was the first in many fields, including democracy, architecture, and philosophy; their art focused on idealism and perfect measures of beauty. Later, the Romans conquered Greece and loved their culture so they adopted it, and then improved on it focusing on the advancement of engineering and architecture. The Parthenon and the Pantheon are two of the most famous buildings in the world, they left a lasting legacy to the point where lots of buildings are based on them.

The Parthenon.

The Parthenon is a temple dedicated to the goddess Athena, the patron god of the Athenians. It was built in the 5th century BCE, during the Golden Age of Athens, by the ruler Pericles. The temple was built on the top of the Acropolis hell; it was designed by the architects Iktinos and Kallikrates (Reed.edu, n.d.).

The Parthenon is a Doric temple that is characterized by its simplicity and elegance. The temple is rectangular with a set of (8) columns on the front and back and (17) columns on the sides. It has two rooms inside, the bigger room housed the statue of Athena, and the smaller room housed the treasury. On the sides, there are some metopes (sculptures) that capture different battles that the Greeks had (Reed.edu, n.d.).

The Pantheon.

The Pantheon is a temple dedicated to all the gods of Rome. It was built in the 2nd century CE by the emperor Hadrian. The building was built in the place of an earlier Greek temple which was destroyed by a fire. It was designed by the architect Apollodorus of Damascus (Ranogajec, 2023).

The temple is circular with a set of (8) Corinthian columns on the front and back, that lead to a circular room whose body is made of concrete to support the dome; the dome was considered the largest in the world, and it has a hole in the center called the oculus that lets in light and air. The temple has a portico that is made of granite and has a set of (16) columns (Ranogajec, 2023).

How are the similarities and differences between ancient Greece and Rome seen in these two buildings?

The differences between the two buildings highlight the differences and similarities between the Roman and Greek cultures. Both buildings serving as temples reflect the importance of religion in the two cultures. The simplistic but harmonic design of the Parthenon reflects the Greek focus on idealism and perfect measures; while the astonishing and complex engineering of the Pantheon reflects the Roman focus on innovation and engineering. The Parthenon is dedicated to a single god, Athena, which reflects that each Greek city-state had its own god; while the Pantheon is dedicated to all the gods, which reflects exclusivity and unity in the Roman culture.

Conclusion.

The two buildings represent great cultures; both were used for religious rituals. The Parthenon was also used as a treasury during the Golden Age of Athens when the city led all of Greece to organize its powers against the Persian invaders. The Pantheon was -and still is- a wonder of engineering due to its complexity and size; it has been used as a church since Christianity took over Rome. Today, the Pantheon in Rome is still standing and officially a church; while the Parthenon in Athens is in ruins, there are some projects to restore it.

Word count: 678.

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