The Pantheon vs. The Parthenon

The Pantheon and the Parthenon are both ancient temples. While the Pantheon was built in Rome to celebrate all the Roman gods, the Parthenon was built in Ancient Greece for the goddess Athena. The Parthenon pre-dates the Pantheon by about six centuries; it was built around 447-438 BCE, while the Pantheon was built in 126 CE.

The Pantheon was originally built by Marcus Agrippa in 27 BC, during this time he was part of the senate for the third time. The entire Pantheon was destroyed except for the facade, then Emperor Hadrian rebuilt it on the same site in 126 AD.

The Parthenon was built during the Classical period between 447 and 438 BC by Iktinos and Kallikrates as a temple to Athens to honor the patron goddess, Athena.

Romans were particularly skilled at concrete construction, and the Pantheon is the first temple to combine this technique with Greek classical orders. The 142-foot-diameter rotunda is the focal point of the building and reigned for nearly 2 millennia (until 1960) as the largest dome ever built. Today's Pantheon ("Temple of All the Gods") is not the original. Marcus Agrippa's Pantheon burned down in 80 AD, was rebuilt by Domitian, and again burned down in 110 AD. Emperor Hadrian completely restored the building in 126 AD.

The Pantheon is the first temple to combine concrete construction, a technique in which the Romans were especially innovative with the more conservative, if not decorative use of Greek classical orders. Originally, the visitor approached the temple through a courtyard precinct, where the main altar was located. A colonnade on three sides of this courtyard served to mask from view a sight of the real domed form of the building. Only the classical portico with huge columns of black and red Egyptian granite could be seen. Attached awkwardly to the curvilinear drum of the building, this portico peak hid the hemispherical dome that gave a clue to appearance of the interior.

The Parthenon is a temple that towers above the city of Athens, symbolizing the Athenians' wealth and power. The temple is dedicated to Athena, a Greek goddess and the city-symbol of Athens. This temple served as a monument to Athena because they believed that she helped the Greeks conquer the Persian Empire in the Persian Wars. The Parthenon had a style new to that era and it was impressive to the eye. The Greeks had to the work diligently to create the Parthenon in perfection. It was built in the masculine Doric style with some Ionic elements. In my opinion the Doric style provided the perfect look, which demonstrated the Athenian desire to be perfect god-like beings. Using this style, the Parthenon hardly incorporated a single straight horizontal or vertical line. The bulging of the columns gave the building a more masculine look and it made the temple seem perfect to the naked eye. This perfection was important at the time because the Greeks saw themselves as rising to the level of the gods and nearing perfection. The Greeks had just defeated the Persians, and they were feeling very confident. They built the Parthenon to show their dominance and strength. A key purpose of the Parthenon was to show their gratitude to Athena for helping them conquer the Persians. The statue of the god Athena that was built was 26 ft. wide and 13 ft. deep. It was made of wood, which supported ivory pieces on the top of the statue.

Unfortunately, the Parthenon was burned and suffered severe fire damage at a certain date that cannot be determined. In 1687 the Parthenon was blown up during a Venetian siege of the acropolis. Restoration work began in the early 20th century. Today the Parthenon remains as a symbol of the once great Greek culture, and the importance of the city of Athens.

While the Roman Pantheon and the Greek Parthenon are similar in several ways, the most prominent comparison is probably in their function. They both served as temples to the gods. The Parthenon as a temple to Athena and the Pantheon to all of the gods. The most important similarity is probably the legacies they leave behind of the ancient world. Both are well-preserved examples of the greatness and architectural ingenuity of construction during this period. Both of these structures have managed to withstand the wear of time and still stand as a tribute to the ancient world. Each temple symbolizes the architectural advances of these two early civilizations with a style that has been reflected in use to this day. Both the temples served as a place of worship for the Greeks and the Romans. They were placed in the highest point in the city so that they could be seen from far away and close to the gods. These architectural designs are tributes to the ancient world. The Pantheon borrows much of its exterior design from traditional Greek temples such as the Parthenon. Both use 8 columns to support a pediment. Both have faced some destruction and rebuilding, and both were used as churches during The Middle Ages. However, while the religious connection saved the Pantheon from looting, many parts of the Parthenon were stolen in the 1700s.

* FAS 201: Humanities Through the Ages: The Classical Tradition: Greece and Rome * http://adventure.howstuffworks.com/parthenon-and-the-acropolis-landmark.htm * http://www.goingthroughitaly.com/382/the-pantheon * http://www.usu.edu/markdamen/1320hist&civ/chapters/05spaces.htm