The Informative Essay: The Construction Of The Pantheon

Again not only I am amazed when looking at this building but my husband is. Since he is a high rise building inspector he knows all about rebar, reinforced structures and concrete and such things and he thinks it is awesome that it stands. He said even with all the modern equipment and stuff we have in modern times, like rebar, specialized types of concrete and heavy equipment, it would be a task to safely get it done. When Michelangelo first saw the Pantheon in the early 1500s, he proclaimed it of “angelic and not human design.” Surprisingly, at that point, this classic Roman temple, converted into a Christian church, was already more than 1350 years old and it still stands today. Built more than 1800 years ago, the magnificent Pantheon still stands as a reminder of the great Roman Empire. The name Pantheon refers to the building's original function as a temple for all the gods. Before the

The most important problem the Romans faced during the construction of the Pantheon was the massive weight of the large dome. In order to support it without proper reinforcement as is common today, the thickness of the walls was gradually decreased as the height increased.They embedded empty clay jugs into the dome’s upper courses to further lighten the structure and facilitate the concrete’s curing.The Romans also used a different type of concrete, strong concrete with pozzolona cement, for the dome than for the walls. The use of coffers in the ceiling and the opening at the top also helped reduce the weight of the dome. At its top, the dome would have an oculus or eye, a circular opening, with a diameter of 27 feet, as its only light source. But the most remarkable part of the building is the more than 121 feet high dome. It was the largest dome in the world until 1436 when the Florence Cathedral was