Pyramids could be among the oldest of human construction still standing today, but it’s simple to understand why – just a big heap of stones. What is among the most astonishing still-standing ancient structure? There could be many answers, one among them being the Treasury of Atreus at Mycenae, Greece standing strong for over 3200 years! Supposedly commissioned by King Agamemmon its famous for its corbelled masonry dome, the earliest extant example we have.
Domes were the earliest construction techniques humans discovered to cover large areas, the Pantheon dome was built with Roman concrete achieving 140 feet diameter way back 2000 years ago, only to be rivalled by St. Peters in Rome 500 years ago, and our own Gol Gumbaz 400 years ago, both just few more feet in diameter, but built with bricks. Structural yet monumental; strong yet elegant; column free yet safe; simple to see yet beautiful; there is nothing to equal the magnificence of domed roofs.
However, as modern construction methods came to stay, the calculation based and labour-intensive brick domes were relegated to the back seat, only to be employed for specific cases of majesty and grandeur. It survived the onslaught of sloping tiled roofs and flat stone slab roofs, but the advent of steel and concrete technology made people ignore masonry domes as outdated relics of the past.
