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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.

Comparison chart

Pantheon

Parthenon

Design

The Pantheon is a circular building with a portico supported granite Corinthian columns. Its Roman concrete dome is 4535 metric tons. It is made from several materials, including marble, granite, concrete and brick.

The Parthenon is a Doric temple supported by ionic columns. It has a rectangular floor and is made entirely from marble, with a limestone base. An ionic frieze runs around its exterior walls. The east pediment narrates the birth of Athena, while the west pediment shows the contest between Athena and Poseidon to become the city's patron god.

History

The Pantheon was originally built by Marcus Agrippa in 27 BC, and the inscription on the front reads "M Agrippa L F Cos Terium Fecit," or "Marcus Agrippa built this when he was consul for the third time." However, the entire Pantheon was destroyed except for this façade, and the Emperor Hadrian rebuilt it on the same site in 126 AD. The building was given to Pope Poniface IV in 609 AD and was converted to a Christian church, saving it from destruction or looting. It was used as a tomb in the Renaissance and is the location of some royal tombs.

The Parthenon was built between 447 and 438 BC by Iktinos and Kallikrates as a temple to Athens' patron goddess, Athena. A fire in the middle of the 3rd century AD destroyed its roof, but it remained a temple to Athena until Theodosius II decreed that all pagan temples should be closed in 435 AD. Athena's image was looted from the temple in the 5th century AD and taken to Constantinople. The Parthenon was converted into a Christian church in the 590s, and in 1687, the building was partially destroyed in a battle between the Turks and the Venetians when it was used to store gunpowder and shelter civilians. Sculptures were then stolen from the Parthenon and rubble was looted for building material for the next 150 years. In 1842, when Greece became independent, the area became a historical precinct controlled by the Greek government. Efforts at restoration began in 1975.

Usage

The Pantheon was originally built as a temple to all the Roman gods. It is currently a Roman Catholic church and a popular tourist attraction.

The Parthenon was originally built as a temple to the Greek Goddess Athena. It is now a museum.

Similarities

Both the Pantheon and the Parthenon were originally designed as temples, and 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.

References

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What's the difference between Pantheon and 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...

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Venus of Willendorf
The Classical Orders > Doric, Ionic, Corinthian
Stonehenge
Pantheon
Parthenon
Colosseum
Pyramids

Write a short paragraph comparing and contrasting the Parthenon and Pantheon.

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Make sure you know the difference between the 3 orders - Doric, Ionic, Corinthian

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Make sure you know the difference between the 3 orders - Doric, Ionic, Corinthian

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What would you see as an observer sitting in the stands of the Collosseum?? 

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What would you see as an observer sitting in the stands of the Collosseum?? 

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Notice how the sports arenas look similar to this design. How is this still standing after hundreds of years?

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The development of Rome's Flavian amphitheater.

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How is this different from the Pantheon?? How is it similar?

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At the approximate position where the Parthenon was built later, the Athenians began the construction of a building that was burned by the Persians while it was still under construction in 480 BCE. It was presumably dedicated to Athena, and after its destruction much of its ruins were utilized in the building of the fortifications at the north end of the Acropolis. Not much is known about this temple, and whether or not it was still under construction when it was destroyed has been disputed. Its massive foundations were made of limestone, and the columns were made of Pentelic marble, a material that was utilized for the first time. The classicalParthenon was constructed between 447-432 BCE to be the focus of the Acropolis building complex. The architects were Iktinos and Kallikrates (Vitruvius also names Karpion as an architect) and it was dedicated to the goddess Athena Pallas or Parthenos (virgin). The temple's main function was to shelter the monumental statue of Athena that was made by Pheidias out of gold and ivory. The temple and the chryselephantine statue were dedicated in 438, although work on the sculptures of its pediment continued until completion in 432 BCE.

The Parthenon construction cost the Athenian treasury 469 silver talents. While it is almost impossible to create a modern equivalent for this amount of money, it might be useful to look at some facts. One talent was the cost to build one trireme, the most advanced warship of the era. (http://www.brown.edu/Departments/Classics/CL56/CL56_LN11.html), and
"...one talent was the cost for paying the crew of a warship for a month" (D. Kagan, The Peloponnesian War, 61). According to Kagan, Athens at the beginning of the Peloponnesian war had 200 triremes in service, while the annual gross income of the city of Athens at the time of Perikles was 1000 talents, with another 6000 in reserve at its treasury.

The Parthenon is a temple of the Doric order with eight columns at the façade, and seventeen columns at the flanks, conforming to the established ratio of 9:4. This ratio governed the vertical and horizontal proportions of the temple as well as many other relationships of the building like the spacing between the columns and their height.

The cella was unusually large to accommodate the oversized statue of Athena, confining the front and back porch to a much smaller than usual size. A line of six Doric columns supported the front and back porch, while a colonnade of 23 smaller Doric columns surrounded the statue in a two-storied arrangement. The placement of columns behind the statue was an unusual development since in previous Doric temples they only appeared on the flanks, but the greater width and length of the Parthenon allowed for a dramatic backdrop of double decked columns instead of a wall.

The back room sheltered Athena's treasure and four columns of the Ionic order supported its roof. The introduction of elements of the Ionic order in a predominately Doric temple was more dramatic in the development of a continuous freeze on the exterior wall of the cella. While the integration of Doric and Ionic elements on the same temple was not a new development in Greek architecture, it was rare, and bestowed on the Parthenon a delicate balance between austere and delicate visual characteristics.

All temples in Greece were designed to be seen only from the outside. The viewers never entered a temple and could only glimpse the interior statues through the open doors. The Parthenon was conceived in a way that the aesthetic elements allow for a smooth transition between the exterior and the interior that housed the chryselephantine statue of Athena. A visitor to the Acropolis who entered from the Propylaia would be confronted by the majestic proportion of the Parthenon in three quarters view, with full view of the west pediment and the north colonnade. As the viewer moved closer, the details of the sculpted metopes would become decipherable, and when in proximity to the base of the columns, parts of the frieze would become evident in tantalizing colorful glimpses peering from the spaces between the columns.

Moving towards the east and looking up towards the exterior of the cella, a visitor would be mesmerized with the masterful depiction of the Panathenaic procession as it appeared in cinematic fashion on the frieze which was visually interrupted by the Doric columns of the exterior. This was certainly a scene that every Athenian could relate to through personal experience, making thus the transition between earth and the divine a smooth one. A visitor moving east would eventually turn the corner to face the entrance of the Parthenon, and there he would be confronted with the birth of Athena high above on the east pediment, and just beyond it, the arrephores folding the peplos among the Olympian gods and the heroes of the frieze. Then, just below, the "peplos" scene, through the immense open doors, any visitor would be enchanted by the glistening gold and ivory hues of the monumental statue of Athena standing at the back of the dim cella. The statue of Athena Pallas reflected its immense stature on the tranquil surface of the water-pool floor, and was framed by yet more Doric columns, this time smaller, in a double-decked arrangement that made the interior space seem as if it were even larger and taller than the exterior.

It seems certain that the master planners of the Parthenon conceived it as a theatrical event. The temple was constructed with the movements of the viewer in mind, and by the arrangement of the temple, the monumental sculptures of the pediment, and the detailed frieze, the emotions of the visitors were choreographed to prepare them for the ultimate glimpse of the majestic Athena Parthenos at the interior of the naos, and to maximize the effect of an awe inspiring visit.

Continued: The Parthenon page 2

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parthenon acropolis athens athena temple ancient greek greece history pictures

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At the approximate position where the Parthenon was built later, the Athenians began the construction of a building that was burned by the Persians while it was still under construction in 480 BCE. It was presumably dedicated to Athena, and after its destruction much of its ruins were utilized in the building of the fortifications at the north end of the Acropolis.

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What was this place used for? How many times did it change to accommodate the public? Why did they fill the entire stage with water?

Have you walked around the inside of the place? I have been here 3 times, and each time I go to the cages where the Gladiators awaited victory or death. Would you have been in the stands cheering them on?

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The Colosseum or Coliseum, also known as the Flavian Amphitheatre, is an oval amphitheatre in the centre of the city of Rome, Italy.

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Why were the Pyramids made so tall? What was the mathematical significance in this?

How does the Egyptian Sphinx influence art? Artist? Why did they place a human head on a cat body?

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Egyptian pyramids - Google Arts & Culture

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The Egyptian pyramids are ancient pyramid-shaped masonry structures located in Egypt.

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What does it name mean? Can you see why the Oculus was so significant during 127AD?? The inside was only illuminate by the sun, and to this day still is visible without electricity.

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The Pantheon is a former Roman temple, now a church, in Rome, Italy, on the site of an earlier temple commissioned by Marcus Agrippa during the reign of Au...

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How does it feel to stand in the center of a piazza in Italia? Very congested, but imagine Julius Caesar strolling through in his carriage to the right? Then famous presidents driving around on the cobble stone.. how is this structure different from the Parthenon in Greece??

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Roman Pantheon, Rome - Google Arts & Culture

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Explore collections and stories from around the world with Google Arts & Culture.

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How has the Parthenon influenced architecture? I have been to this museum. It houses the detailed mosaics across the top of the Parthenon. How do the bodies compare to the Egyptian bodies seen in the video?

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The Acropolis Museum is an archaeological site-specific museum, housing more than 3.000 famous artefacts from the Athenian Acropolis, the most significant sanctuary of the ancient city. Located in the historical area of Makriyianni, southeast of the Rock of the Acropolis, the Museum narrates the story of life on the Rock from prehistoric times until the end of Antiquity. From its opening in June 2009 until March 2012 more than 4 million local and foreign visitors have passed through the Museum's doors. Architect Bernard Tschumi's new Acropolis Museum replaced the old Museum on the Rock of the Acropolis. The new museum has a total area of 25,000 square meters, with exhibition space of over 14,000 square meters, approximately ten times the size of the old Museum. A tailor made museum building with extensive use of glass ensures breathtaking views of the Acropolis, the surrounding historic hills and the modern city of Athens and immediate views of the archaeological excavation that lies below the Museum, visible through large expanses of glass floor. With the benefit of the changing natural light, visitors can discern and discover the delicate surface variations of the sculptures and select the vantage point from which to observe the exhibits. The archaeological excavation that lies beneath the Museum provides the opportunity to visitors to appreciate both the masterpieces of the Acropolis in the upper levels of the Museum against the remains of the day to day lives of the people that lived in the shadow of the Acropolis over various periods. After crossing the ground floor lobby of the Museum, the first collection that lies before the visitor presents finds from the sanctuaries and the settlement which were developed on the slopes of the Acropolis during all historic periods. On Level One visitors learn about the history of life at the top of the Rock, from the 2nd millennium BC until the end of Antiquity. On Level Three, visitors are afforded the opportunity to view the sculptural decoration of the Parthenon, the most significant temple of the Acropolis. The Museum provides an increasingly diverse program of activities for its visitors, including the presentation of Museum conservators at work within the galleries - currently the delicate laser cleaning of the famous Caryatid sculptures - 3D projections about the Acropolis in antiquity, gallery talks by Archaeologists-Museum Hosts and family-focused activities aided by backpack materials. Restaurant, café and Museum shopping is available, as well as quiet reading areas with publications about the Acropolis.

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Acropolis Museum - Google Arts & Culture

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The Acropolis Museum is an archaeological site-specific museum, housing more than 3.000 famous artefacts from the Athenian Acropolis, the most significant sanctuary of the ancient city. Located in the historical area of Makriyianni, southeast of the Rock of the Acropolis, the Museum narrates the story of life on the Rock from prehistoric times until the end of Antiquity.

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Can you find the difference between Doric, Ionic and Corinthian?

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Encyclopaedia Londinensis, or, Universal dictionary of Arts, Sciences, and Literature, Vol. II

A volute is a spiral, scroll-like ornament that forms the basis of the Ionic order, found in the capital of the Ionic column. It was later incorporated into Corinthian order and Composite column capitals. Four are normally to be found on an Ionic capital, eight on Composite capitals and smaller versions (sometimes called helix) on the Corinthian capital.

What else defines the Ionic order? Check out the rest of the gallery for more information.

Video of Blackfriars Bridge (1896) - R.W. Paul | BFI

In this plate, T. Sheraton and J. Pass depict four of the bridges in London that cross the River Thames near the Monument to the Great Fire of London, Shakespeare's Globe, Parliament, and Kew Gardens, respectively.

All Images from "Encyclopaedia Londinensis or,
Universal dictionary of arts, sciences, and literature, Volume 2, Architecture" by John Wilkes of Milland House, 1810-1829.

Text and arrangement by Mary Kate du Laney, Audrey McElhinney, and Sonya Coleman for the Library of Virginia.

Imaging by the LVA Photo & Digital Imaging Services Department

For the Library of Virginia

The story featured may in some cases have been created by an independent third party and may not always represent the views of the institutions, listed below, who have supplied the content.

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Wonder of Architecture - Google Arts & Culture

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Encyclopaedia Londinensis, or, Universal dictionary of Arts, Sciences, and Literature, Vol. II A volute is a spiral, scroll-like ornament that forms the basis of the Ionic order, found in the capital of the Ionic column. It was later incorporated into Corinthian order and Composite column capitals.

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Why is this site important? What is significant about the stones? The Construction of the piece itself? What is a post and lentil structure?? How old is Stonehenge??

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Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument in Wiltshire, England, 2 miles west of Amesbury.

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Why do YOU think she not have a face? Is it stronger without knowing who the person is? Why do you think so many other cultures used the same design in their figurines? What does this say about art and the cross-cultural ideals

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Paleolithic Age. 29,500 years. Willendorf in Wachau, Lower Austria.

The perfection of the representation and harmonious style make the 29,500-year-old figure of the "Venus of Willendorf" one of the most expressive works of art from the Paleolithic Age.

ENIGMATIC ICON
"It was a beautiful August morning in 1908 when the 'Venus of Willendorf' returned to the light of day in Wachau, after four thousand years of slumber. She was discovered in Szombathy's and my presence at a depth of around 25 cm below the undisturbed ash layer near a large hearth (the 9th and uppermost occupation layer) ..." is how Josef Bayer, one of the excavation directors, described the discovery of the most famous prehistoric female figure in the Neue Wiener Tagblatt.
The Venus of Willendorf was found in 1908 during a NHM archeological dig. There was much lively controversy in subsequent years about who was involved in the discovery, and to what extent. At the time, the statuette was the oldest complete human figure, and is still a frequently cited example of the female principle.
The figure of a mature woman was carved out of fine limestone with flint tools, and was originally coated with red chalk. In the Paleolithic Age, red was a symbol of life, death and rebirth. Despite the small size, many details are reproduced with remarkable realism. Thin arms decorated with serrated arm rings rest on the heavy breasts. The slightly inclined head has an elaborate hairstyle or basket weave cap.
Its curious lack of any facial features elevates the Venus of Willendorf above the individual, at the same time giving it a multitude of faces. Rather than depicting a specific individual, it is the bearer of a universal message which was understood throughout Europe in its time, but will be hidden from us forever.

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Venus of Willendorf - Google Arts & Culture

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Paleolithic Age. 29,500 years. Willendorf in Wachau, Lower Austria. The perfection of the representation and harmonious style make the 29,500-year-old figure of the "Venus of Willendorf" one of the most expressive works of art from the Paleolithic Age.