Pantheon vs. Parthenon
<b>Parthenon</b> and <b>Pantheon</b> are two great temples built in Europe in different periods. The two temples were built to worship gods, and to express the power and beauty of those gods through architecture and design. One temple, namely Parthenon, was built in Greece before Common Era, and the other one, Pantheon, was built half a millennium later, in second century CE. The two temples are good examples of Greek and Roman architecture respectively. 
During 440’s-430’s two great architects, Kallikrates and Iktinos, constructed a beautiful and big temple to honor innocent Greek goddess Athena. It was planned to be a house for great Phidian statue of Athena Panthenos. Hence, the title of the temple comes from Panthenos, which stands for “virgin.”
The first uniqueness of the temple is that it was built on a natural slope. Thus the two Greek architects had to eliminate all discrepancies, and build up a right and proper construction. The exterior of the temple catches eye with a single colonnade, a set of columns that look exactly the same in their size and shape. What is surprising is that the two architects were skilled and wise enough to avoid any visual illusions that may arise while looking at the temple. Namely, they managed the temple from appearing to droop and sag by curving the stylobate inward a little, and also they have inclined the outer columns in the corners inward, to make an illusion of a perpendicular thrust. In addition, to boost the visual effect, these outer corner columns were made bigger and heavier. Since Kallikrates and Iktinos understood the tendency of a human eye to unwillingly distort huge constructions, Greek architects have arranged these adjustments. 
The temple has 8x17 Doric columns on its short and long sides respectively. This size is just enough to house the great statue of Athena Parthenos. Around the temple the frieze portrays various Greek mythological scenes and figures, mostly symbolizing disputes with Persia. Another outstanding feature of the temple is the natural Greek quest for right geometrical forms and proportions. Although this temple is ruined nowadays, <i>Parthenon</i> reminds us of Greek majesty and architectural beauty of Golden Age in Athens.
Roman architecture is represented in this essay by <i>Pantheon</i>, a temple built by Emperor Hadrian in first quarter of second century CE. This temple is considered the greatest and the most influential temple built in Roman Empire. Just like Parthenon, Pantheon was dedicated to gods, however not a single god like Athena in Greece, but it was dedicated to many roman gods and spatial deities. 
The exterior of the temple reminds of the Greek culture, and its facade consists of eight Corinthian columns. The interior of the temple hides a huge and very fascinating dome. It represents the Roman faith in cosmos and cosmology, as well as mathematics, and was the orb of the earth. The diameter of the dome is exactly the same as the height of the ceiling, namely 142 feet. The body of the dome is made of many square-shaped faces. The oculus, a hole in the center of the dome, represents Jupiter’s all-seeing eye, and it is the only source of light within the entire temple. In the inner cover of the dome was filled with gilded bronze rosettes, which glistered and represented stars. As the sun moved across the sky, the same way the beam moved across the interior of the Pantheon. Together with heavy marble walls and Corinthian columns, Pantheon makes a great impression and illusion of being in the center of space. 
Both temples Pantheon and Parthenon, have series of columns at the front, which is a prominent characteristic of Greek architecture. Architectures of both temples used illusive adjustments and techniques to provide a feeling of perfection and peace. Architects of both temples sought to make them perfect mathematical forms, ratios, and proportions. Generally, Parthenon and Pantheon are great, and even revolutionary buildings of Greek and Roman architecture respectively.