The role of the sun in the Pantheon’s design and meaning (original) (raw)
Related papers
2016
Until 1995, it was thought that the Pantheon of Augustus had the entrance on the south side in contrast to that of the next scheduled time of Hadrian, which has placed it in the north. The archaeological excavation executed by the Sovrintendenza Capitolina di Roma, under the supervision of P. Virgili, during 1995-97, have shown that the Pantheon of Augustus had almost the same plan that Hadrian had rebuilt later and that we can see today. Even the surveys, conducted during 2007-2009 on the Mausoleum of Augustus, inside and on the forecourt, allowed to advance new hypotheses about the ground plan of the monument and its rearrangement made by a successor of Augustus. In 1990, N. Lanciano published a reading of the Hadrian's Pantheon as a solar calendar that use the light entering from the oculus and scans the interior space, at solar noon, on Equinoxes and Solstices days, in addition to the April 21 birthday of Rome. These researches show the two buildings, Pantheon and Augustus' Mausoleum, have more formal and symbolic links than was supposed. With attention to contemporary written sources, issues arise: the orientation of the axes of the buildings and their distance; the organization of the squares on which they open; the geometry of the inner dome and hall of the Pantheon. The urban complex of Augustus includes also the monumental sundial, mentioned by Plinius and partially excavated by Buchner in 1979, and the Ara Pacis location and its function: the most recent researches lead to exclude some hypotheses still present in articles and in the web. In the modern reuse (1990) this obelisk is a gnomon in the above horizontal sundial.
The Pantheon is one of the most important architectural monuments of all time. Thought to have been built by Emperor Hadrian in approximately 125 AD on the site of an earlier, Agrippan-era monument, it brilliantly displays the spatial pyrotechnics emblematic of Roman architecture and engineering. The Pantheon gives an up-to-date account of recent research on the best preserved building in the corpus of ancient Roman architecture from the time of its construction to the twenty-first century. Each chapter addresses a specific fundamental issue or period pertaining to the building; together, the essays in this volume shed light on all aspects of the Pantheon's creation, and establish the importance of the history of the building to an understanding of its ancient fabric and heritage, its present state, and its special role in the survival and evolution of ancient architecture in modern Rome.
The Symbolic Use of Light in Hadrianic Architecture and the 'Kiss of the Sun'
Journal of Archaeoastronomy and Ancient Technologies, 2018
In this presentation we will discuss three Roman monuments of the times of Emperor Hadrian (117-138 AD): the Villa Adriana at Tivoli near Rome, the Mausoleum of Hadrian in Rome (now Castel Sant'Angelo) and finally the Pantheon (also in Rome). In all of them we see luminous phenomena which occur only in few set days during the year; they correspond to astronomical events such as the Solstices or other important dates of the Roman calendar. As we will see, this did not happen by chance and had a precise symbolic meaning. Also, we will explain why there are no written sources about Roman oriented buildings and their illuminations, producing an ancient and rare documentation: the description of the "Kiss of the Sun". (AaATec)
Nero’s “Solar” Kingship and the Architecture of the Domus Aurea
Numen
The Domus Aurea, Nero’s last “palace” constructed in the very heart of ancient Rome, is a true masterpiece of Roman architecture. We explore here symbolic aspects of the emperor’s project, analyzing the archaeoastronomy of the best preserved part of the Domus, the Esquiline Wing. In particular, we study the so-called Octagonal Room, the huge vaulted room which is in many respects a predecessor of the Pantheon. The project of the room turns out to be connected with astronomy, as is Hadrian’s Pantheon sixty years later. Indeed, the divinization and “solarization” of the emperor — placed at the equinoxes as a point of balance in the heavens — are shown to be explicitly referred to in the rigorous orientation of the plan and in the peculiar geometry of the design of the dome.
Nero’s ‘solar’ kingship and the architecture of Domus Aurea
The Domus Aurea, Nero's last "palace" constructed in the very heart of ancient Rome, is a true masterpiece of Roman architecture. We explore here symbolic aspects of the emperor's project, analysing the archaeoastronomy of the best preserved part of the Domus, the Esquiline Wing. In particular, we study the so-called Octagonal Room, the huge vaulted room which is in many respects a predecessor of the Pantheon. The project of the room turns out to be connected with astronomy, as will be that of the Hadrian's Pantheon 60 years later. Indeed, the divinization and "solarisation" of the emperor placed at the equinoxes as a point of balance in the heavens are shown to be explicitly referred to in the rigorous orientation of the plan and in the peculiar geometry of the design of the dome.
The Pantheon in Rome: New Images of Light phenomena. The Arch of Light.
In the Pantheon in Rome the rays of the Sun enter from the central oculus and at noon illuminate the upper part of the dome on Winter Solstice (December 21), the grate above the large entrance door on the Equinox (March 21 and September 23), the center of the door on the Dies Natalis Urbis Romae (April 21) and finally the floor on Summer Solstice (April 21). But there is another extraordinary luminous phenomenon, the Arch of Light which perfectly matches the barrel vault above the door and occurs on April 7th and September 4th. The last results of this study are published in the new bookof Marina De Franceschini and Giuseppe Veneziano: "Pantheon Architecture & LIght" https://rirella-editrice.com/schedashop.aspx?idArt=2890&desc=PANTHEON.%20ARCHITECTURE%20&%20LIGHT
Archaeoastronomy and Ancient Technologies 2018, 6(1), 111-137, 2018
Published in Archaeoastronomy and Ancient Technologies, see link below http://aaatec.org/art/a\_fm1 http://aaatec.org/documents/article/fm1.pdf In this presentation we will discuss three Roman monuments of the times of Emperor Hadrian (117-138 AD): the Villa Adriana at Tivoli near Rome, the Mausoleum of Hadrian in Rome (now Castel Sant'Angelo) and finally the Pantheon (also in Rome). In all of them we see luminous phenomena which occur only in few set days during the year; they correspond to astronomical events such as the Solstices or other important dates of the Roman calendar. As we will see, this did not happen by chance and had a precise symbolic meaning. Also, we will explain why there are no written sources about Roman oriented buildings and their illuminations, producing an ancient and rare documentation: the description of the "Kiss of the Sun". In questa presentazione parleremo di tre monumenti romani dell'epoca dell'imperatore ADriano (117-138 d.C.): la Villa Adriana di Tivoli, il Mausoleo di Adriano a Roma (Castel Sant'Angelo) ed il Pantheon (sempre a Roma). In tutti e tre vediamo dei fenomeni luminosi che si verificano soltanto in determinate date nel corso dell'anno, che corrispondono ad eventi astronomici come i Solstizi o altre date importanti del calendario romano. Come vedremo, ciò non avveniva per caso, ma aveva un significato simbolico ben preciso. Inoltre, spiegheremo perché non vi siano fonti scritte che parlino di edifici romani orientati e delel loro illuminazioni, pubbicando un documento antico e raro: la descrizione del "Bacio del Sole".
Exploring the Sacred Geography of the Pantheon of Rome
The purpose of this paper is to explore the idea of sacred space as a human construct through examining arguments and theories proposed by academics in relation to having several exploration visits to the site located in Rome. The research visits take place in the pantheon of Rome, one of the most important surviving work of Roman architecture.1 However, the research will focus mainly on the role of the sun in the pantheon as one of the main features that aid into making the space sacred. The issue of discussion in this matter, is whether the role of the sun in the pantheon is considered sacred due to the space being initially sacred or is the space considered sacred due to the role of the sun? The key theorists I will be presenting are Emile Durkheim, Mircea Eliade and, Lucien Levy-Bruhl, they all have different ideas of what makes a space sacred, and that could help with in investigation of the pantheon.