[NYer]

A most unusual Roman structure depicting their technical advancement is the Pantheon, a brick faced building that has withstood the ravages of weathering in near perfect condition, sitting magnificently in the business district of Rome.

Originally built in 27 BC by emperor Agrippa, the Pantheon was destroyed in a fire in 80 AD. Hadrian commissioned the rebuilding of the temple but there is no indication of the emperor on the building at all. Over the portico is an inscription "Marcus Agrippa, Lucii filius, consul tertium fecit" meaning "Marcus Agrippa, son of Lucius, Consul for the third time, built this"

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The rotunda is 43.3 m (142f) high and has a rectangular entrance with 8 granite columns. The scientists were puzzled for many years how the ancient Romans built this large dome and finally they discovered that it was made of concrete that gets lighter the higher it goes because it was mixed with lighter volcanic stones.

The Pantheon is one of the most visited sites in Rome today. It is still used as a Catholic church and holds mass daily.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks for the great pics!

[beebuster2000]

i heard a story at the parthenon about how it was built dont know if its true.

story is, to build the structure, instead of scaffolding, the romans filled it with sand as they went. in the sand they randomly buried coins. when it was finished, they allowed the public to come in and take out sand and keep any coins that were found. place was emptied of sand in record time so the story goes.

true?