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This combination produces a sense of lightness as one’s eye moves from the bottom to the top tier. Thick entablatures rest on top of the rings of columns, firmly delineating the stories. The uppermost level is almost all solid masonry, except for a few regularly spaced rectangular openings. It is ornamented with Corinthian pilasters and crowned by a heavy cornice.The exterior of the Colosseum was composed of masonry blocks held in place by metal dowels. These dowels were removed over the years when metal became scarce, thus gravity keeps the structure intact.Roman engineering genius can be seen most clearly in the Pantheon (Figs. 15.26 and 15.27), a brick and concrete structure originally erected to house sculptures of the Roman gods. Although the building no longer contains these statues, its function remains religious. Since the year 609 ce, it has been a Christian church.The Pantheon’s design combines the simple geometric elements of a circle and a rectangle. The entrance con-sists of a rectangular portico, complete with Corinthian columns and pediment. The main body of the building, to which the portico is attached, is circular. It is 144 feet in diameter and spanned by a dome equal in height to the diameter. Supporting the massive dome are 20-foot-thick walls pierced with deep niches, which in turn are vaulted to accept the downward thrust of the dome and distribute its weight to the solid wall. These deep niches alternate with shallow niches in which sculptures were placed.The dome consists of a rather thin concrete shell that thickens toward the base. The interior of the dome is coffered, or carved with recessed squares that physically and visually lighten the structure. The ceiling was once