Thread by @abby_fecit

#MuseumsUnlocked Day 107: Rome/Architecture. The Pantheon: How did this beautifully preserved mix of concrete, bronze & precious materials from across the globe come together as one of the world's most magnificent buildings? It began with Marcus Agrippa...1/5
#Roman #Archaeology

In his 3rd consulship (27 BCE), in an effort to unite a divided nation, Agrippa honoured 'all the gods'. Pliny ( Elder) describes Syracusan bronze (NH. 34), Cleopatra's pearls became Venus' earrings (NH. 9). Jupiter did not approve: ⚡️& 🔥 struck! Only his facade survived... 2/5

In a tale told by brickstamps, Domitian then Trajan/ Hadrian rebuilt: grey granite columns raised the pediment, a dome w/ a stunning 'oculus' still bathes a rainbow of coloured marble in heavenly light: a round table for the gods. How was this achieved with Roman concrete? 3/5

Scholar & scientists puzzled over the dome for centuries: Roman concrete was too heavy to bear the weight. Recent surveys reveal the Roman solution: they made light concrete with volcanic pumice! The coffered ceiling held bronze rosettes, glowing like stars in the night sky 4/5.

A text below Agrippa's records restorations by Septimus Severus & Caracalla in 202 CE (few bricks date to this period). Pope Urban 'Barberini' 1623-44, who melted the bronze ceiling to make cannons, is still frowned upon: 'what the Barbarians didn't do, Barberini did..' 5/5

Want to learn more?
The Pantheon: from Antiquity to the Present (2015) eds. T. Marder & M.W Jones
cambridge.org/core/books/pan…
>Lise Hetland's chapter on dating is online erenow.net/ancient/the-pa…
Or step inside a virtual tour with Darius Arya
ancientromelive.org/pantheon/