Written assignment Unit 2 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. Parthenon: https://web.archive.org/web/20151125183649/http://www.reed.edu/humanities/110 Tech/Parthenon.html Pantheon: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pantheon,_Rome In an essay consider how the style and function (use) of each building serves as a typical example of its culture. How are the similarities and differences between ancient Greece and Rome seen in these two buildings? - Introduction The Parthenon and the Pantheon are both ancient temples which built around 447-432 BCE and 125 AD. These buildings are some good examples …show more content…
Description, difference and similarities between them The Parthenon, built on the Acropolis of Athens under the rule of Pericles by the architects Ictinus and Callicrates in honor of the goddess Athena, the patron of Athens. It is known as the most prominent and one of the most significant works of architecture of ancient, classical Greece. Parthenon symbolizes the power and influence of the Athenian politician, Pericles, who championed its construction. Some historians say that the building is an expression of the confidence of the Athenians in this new empire. The Parthenon is very representative of Greek architecture by its perfect proportions (no matter the size of the temple, the steps, the entrance and the columns are proportional to the dimensions of the building). Like the Egyptian temples, the Parthenon is a colossal building, like the Olympians. The columns dominate over the whole temple. The Parthenon includes two typically Greek orders in its construction: the Doric order and the Ionian order. Finally, what is characteristic of Greek architecture, the various elements of the temple are monolithic, so carved piece by piece in Pentelic marble and not cast in concrete, as …show more content…
The Pantheon is comprised of two circles, one vertical and one horizontal, which together form a sphere. The facade of the Pantheon is in the classic Greek style but the remainder of the building is constructed as a modern domed structure, based on a theoretical sphere that could fit within the building and it is made from several materials like marble, granite, concrete, and brick. Second is comparing orders. It is far more advanced architecturally and structurally than the Parthenon, like comparing a Gothic cathedral to a modern skyscraper in some sense. It breaks with the traditional architecture of Greek temples. Its main innovation is the juxtaposition of three different geometrical elements: the porch (of typically Greek influence), surmounted by a triangular pediment, a rectangular structure and the cylindrical rotunda, on which rests an immense dome. Conclusion The Parthenon and the Pantheon were originally designed as temples; unlike the Parthenon, the Pantheon have faced some destruction and rebuilding, but the pantheon survives almost intact to this day, depending both on its construction techniques that allows it to be so resistant.