The Mystery Building: Roman Pantheon, Essay Example

The mystery building contained in the History Unbound exercise is the so-called Roman Pantheon, constructed in approximately 31 BC by Agrippa, with the dome roof added by Hadrian in approximately 130 BC. (History Unbound) The logic for this decision is based upon the columns at the front of the building, as well as the dome located behind the columns. The primary difficulty in discerning the work’s origin is largely because of the columns, since columns were also incorporated in Greek art. (History Unbound) The logic behind making the choice for the Roman origin of the Pantheon can be said to lie in two features. If one could examine the structure in person, one would notice the concrete materials in use, a Roman innovation (History Unbound). Obviously, another clear factor in the unearthing of the structure would be its location, that it was uncovered in Rome. However, if we bracket out the actual physical examination of the structure itself, and proceed based merely on the evidence given in the History Unbound exercise, our task is more complicated, since the clear influence on Greek and Roman architecture. This makes the choice somewhat difficult, especially for the amateur historian.

In this regard, the distinctiveness of the Roman Pantheon can be said to lie in two primary characteristics. First, it can be understood as a reflection of some fundamental Roman artistic principles, which emphasized the synthesis of grandiose artistic creation and pragmatic, technological innovation. Secondly, it can be said to reflect the ideological foundations of Roman society, with its aesthetic reflection of political ideals such as power and authority, which found their source in an ambitious and expanding Roman Empire that at the time of the Pantheon’s initial construction experienced political instability. These are the so-called “dominant characteristics of this work” which reflect technological resources, i.e., the ability to create such a massive structure, as well as financial resources, i.e., the capital needed to construct such a building clearly suggests a wealthy civilization.

In regards to the aesthetic characteristics and technological aspects of the Roman Pantheon, what is most striking about the work is its domed roof. This roof, which at the time of its construction was “the largest of its kind in the world” (History Unbound) continued to bear this title until the modern period. The roof’s grandeur is immediately indicative of an aesthetic value assigned to the stature of a work. The Roman Empire’s ambitiousness, and in particular the aspirations of Agrippa, who commissioned the work, and Hadrian, who rebuilt the Pantheon after it was destroyed by fire, while also making the crucial addition of the massive dome, are clearly at stake in the very attempt to carry out such a project. (History Unbound) At the same time, the aesthetic principle of grandiose architecture was itself only made possible by technological innovations in terms of building materials. Accordingly, ingenuity figured into Roman aesthetics, in so far as the construction of the Pantheon dome marked an effective utilization of concrete building materials, which “the Romans had refined as a building material.” (History Unbound) Two aesthetic principles are thus immediately present in the Pantheon. Firstly, the commitment to the notion that art should be, to employ a cliché, larger than life. The artistic undertaking should itself be a struggle, and at the heart of Roman aesthetics, it can be said, exists a conflict, a conflict that would also reflect itself in the subsequent expansion of the Roman Empire.

In other words, this suggests an original purpose of the structure. In the form of the Pantheon, aesthetics is used to emphasize politics. Whereas aspirations for monumental works of art could themselves only be realized with advancements in technologies and the expansion of the scope of materials that could be used in creating architecture, the ambition to make such architecture recalls political or even religious motivation. As the History Unbound unit points out the Pantheon is dedicated to the Gods, therefore there is a clear evocation of religious subject matter in the work.

The pantheon is in other words an ambitious project, meeting the ambitions of emperors such as Agrippa and Hessiod, as their ambitions are outlined in History Unbound. This ambition itself is the reflection of the world-view of a people: this means when we see the structure we need to better understand the original purpose, which was mentioned before in terms of ambition. Ambition implied a way with which to realize and commemorate this glory in the artistic form. In this case, the Pantheon is itself a reflection of the Roman gods who were the subject of Roman religious worship: by constructing such an impressive edifice in their honor, as was Agrippa’s initial intent (History Unbound), the aim was perhaps to demonstrate the superiority of the Roman gods and evoke a form of providence from these same gods. That is to say, if the Roman gods could be represented in such a grand style, then these same gods would favor the Roman historical mission of expansionism and the conquering of the world. This is not to say that the Roman historical project had been without its own experiences of internal turbulence. Agrippa, who, as mentioned above, had initially commissioned the Pantheon, himself had experienced an unstable Rome. One if not his most significant achievement in Roman political life, therefore, was to “stabilize the political situation in Rome.” (History Unbound) During this same period, Agrippa commissioned the work. This period of stabilization in which the Pantheon was created perhaps can be interpreted so as to suggest two crucial aspects of the Pantheon’s ideological and symbolic meaning. Firstly, emerging as political leader in a time of turmoil, Agrippa knew that there was nothing self-evident in Rome being a strong state: the state could plunge into chaos at any given moment. The construction of the Pantheon, in this sense, would be a reflection of his own political gestures: to construct a firm foundation for the Roman Republic. This firm foundation takes an aesthetic and real-life appearance in the form of the Pantheon: the immovable quality of the architectural object in its size and scope reflects the political value of stability. In essence, Agrippia’s political project of stabilizing Rome found its artistic and architectural counterpart in the Pantheon; Agrippa’s building of the Roman Republic was mirrored in the building of the Pantheon. Secondly, it is crucial to not overlook the aforementioned religious dimension of the work in question. Built amidst a time of political uncertainty, the construction of such a mammoth architectural work dedicated to the gods could be construed as a clear attempt to gain the favor of the gods. (History Unbound) From this perspective, the Pantheon reflects a diverse number of political, ideological and religious themes that accurately summarize the particular period in Roman history in which the building was constructed.

Accordingly, the Pantheon symbolizes a certain inseparability in Roman art between political, aesthetic, social and religious dimensions. The work reflects the technological advances of Rome in the form of the use of concrete. At once, it reflects a vision of Rome based upon grandeur and expansion. However, when considering the historical context of the work’s construction, this grandeur was not indubitable: a plea to the Gods also had to be made. The Pantheon thus represents a multi-layered convergence of various aspects of Roman life itself.