was not advanced enough to make it smooth and time resistant. Today, the temple lies in ruins. The foundation and many of the columns still stand, but the roof and carved designs are all but missing. The Pantheon, built in Rome around AD 126, is in great condition yet today. More massive than the Parthenon, the exterior of the Pantheon still looks smoother. The eight Corinthian columns that line the front entrance are not as intrusive as the Doric columns of ancient Greece. They are thinner and ornately decorated. Also, the Pantheon gains its giant size because of its high walls, not by resting its foundation on a mountainous staircase. Again, this makes the temple more delicate than the Parthenon and this difference also infers that the Romans felt much more secure from the dangers of invasion. Unlike the Parthenon that was destroyed by enemies, the Pantheon still stands content. Continuing inside, the walls of the Pantheon are intrinsically a genius of splendor. They are decorated with ornate designs of Corinthian columns and mock windows. The beauty of the three dimensional wall fixtures is exemplified by sunlight let in by the large oculus at its zenith.Although the Parthenon has not survived time, its design has greatly affected our modern world. The childrens design mentioned earlier is similar to the post-and-lintel construction used by the Greeks in the Parthenon and other structures. In this design, the vertical columns and horizontal beams form the square. The triangle on top (probably developed to improve water runoff) forms a pediment on both ends where it touches the beams. The general design of the Pantheon utilizes post-and-lintel construction for the main entrance, but the large dome that makes up the bulk of the area dwarfs this. Domes and arcs are used in many of the surviving Roman structures because their shape makes them very strong. These innovations are so well noted that Volkswagen commercials hav...
