The Spherical Spatial Designs and Its Meanings in The Pantheon, Rome Term Paper

The Spherical Spatial Designs and Its Meanings in The Pantheon, Rome - Term Paper Example By looking at the vast span of the empire at that time, dome structures was almost everywhere. From the temples, churches, up to the administrative buildings, the dome was a clear Roman mark in the Roman urban zones. By looking at the existing structures of today, it is clear that the Romans directly influenced modern day engineers and architects. Arenas, stadiums and government buildings are the favored pieces that exemplify the classical Roman built. In fact, the Capitol Hill in Washington D.C. in the US is one of the premier heirs of this type of architecture. Also, the presence of St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican could also attest to the influence of the Romans. Indeed, the fall of Rome did not hinder the end of its influential art and architecture. From the Middle-Ages, the Renaissance, up to the dawn of the 18th to the 19th centuries, the spirit of the Romans are present in building structures. With the remarkable Pantheon as the culmination of the ingenious Roman dom e, this paper would concentrate on the spherical spatial design of the structure. It will explain the prevalence of these kinds of structures and their significance in the Roman society at that time. By historicizing the Pantheon and narrating the context when it was built, this paper would arrive to a closer answer that pertains to the meanings of the spheres and curvatures that dominate the Pantheon. This paper will then delve into a more focused analysis of its interior. It will try to connect the presence of the pillars to the importance of the spherical feel that the Pantheon creates in its layout. The utter shift from a pagan to a Christian worship will also be explained in this paper. The importance of the dome to the pagans and the Christians will be viewed as varying interpretations based on their respective tenets and beliefs. This paper on the Pantheon’s spherical built is intended to shed light on the mysteries that surround the architecture of this Roman structur e. By the end of this study, it should give a clear understanding on the harmony and the coordination of every detail within the Pantheon. The different interpretations of the pagan and Christian should be evident and conclusive as well. For the fulfilment of this research, it will take into account various secondary sources such as books and journal articles. The historical methodology will be used in order to corroborate information and to explain the arguments of the topic at hand. The Roman Context: the Pantheon and the Society in the 1st Century Before doing an analysis on the predominance of the spherical Roman structures and its obvious use in the Pantheon, a brief narrative of the Roman society should be explained in order to contextualize the matter at hand. During the 1st century, the Roman Republic had been expanding rapidly and was transforming into an empire. The principle of expansionism was the primary rationale of the Romans’ will to subject the whole Mediterr anean under its control. At the dawn of that century, the concept of the republic was rightfully replaced with the title of the empire, primarily due to the vast expanse of its territories (Hollister, 183-189). Under the Principate, the leadership of the princep or the â€Å"first prince† caused a conquest which produced frontiers from the Tigris-Euphrates Valley in the east, the Atlantic in