27 BC
Marcus Agrippa
Rome, Italy
The Pantheon
Photo: ArtToday.com
Today's Pantheon ("Temple of All the Gods") is not the original. Marcus Agrippa's Pantheon burned down in 80 AD, was rebuilt by Domitian, and again burned down in 110 AD. Emperor Hadrian completely restored the building in 126, and it is his Pantheon which stands today as the best-preserved building in Rome.
Romans were particularly skilled at concrete construction, and the Pantheon is the first temple to combine this technique with Greek classical orders. The 142-foot-diameter rotunda is the focal point of the building and reigned for nearly 2 millenia (until 1960) as the largest dome ever built. In order to support this massive structure, the walls were made 25-feet thick. The other main parts of the temple are the entrance porch and the vestibule.
Learn More About the Roman Pantheon
The Roman Pantheon: Picture Gallery
