Rome's Pantheon
by Eric Tressler
Title
Rome's Pantheon
Artist
Eric Tressler
Medium
Photograph
Description
The construction of the Pantheon was part of a program of construction that was undertaken by Augustus Caesar and his supporters. They built more than twenty structures on the Campus Martius, including the Baths of Agrippa and the Saepta Julia. It had long been thought that the current building was built by Agrippa, with later alterations undertaken, and this was in part because of the inscription on the front of the temple[ which reads: M�AGRIPPA�L�F�COS�TERTIUM�FECIT or in full, "M[arcus] Agrippa L[ucii] f[ilius] co[n] s[ul] tertium fecit," meaning "Marcus Agrippa, son of Lucius, made this building when consul for the third time." However, archaeological excavations have shown that the Pantheon of Agrippa had been completely destroyed except for the fa�ade, and Emperor Hadrian was responsible for rebuilding the Pantheon on the site of Agrippa's original temple.[There had been two earlier buildings on the same spot, for which the new Pantheon was a replacement.
The Pantheon dome. The concrete for the coffered dome was poured in moulds, probably mounted on temporary scaffolding. The oculus is the main source of natural light.
Uploaded
June 5th, 2013
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