萬神殿探源

In Search of the Origin of the Pantheon

羅馬的萬神殿是羅馬古城中保存最好的古蹟之一。無論工程技術或空間組成上，都是非凡的成就。然而，這曠世之作卻有許多令人費解之處，留待後人從考古學、歷史學和建築學去發掘。
1. 萬神殿正立面刻著由西元前一世紀阿格力帕所建，牆上的磚印卻是西元後二世紀燒成，到底是何時興建的？
2. 目前的正立面朝北，但南邊卻出現類似入口的凹室，曾經是入口嗎？
3. 圓形的空間顯然是特點，但是，為何以傳統神殿的正立面面對廣場，而帶有特色的圓形外觀，卻隱藏於後？
4. 羅馬傳統神殿的室內都不是公共空間，只有祭司可以進去，信眾只能在室外參與儀式，而萬神殿既是崇拜萬神的神殿，若不進去，是無法知道在拜哪一位神，到底當時如何使用此神殿？
以上諸多問題，困惑了歷史上不少的考古學家。本文從分析萬神殿的空間組成、古代歷史文獻、和歷來考古學家的發現，推斷萬神殿的興建歷史與各階段的空間形態，然後根據興建時的歷史背景，推論興建與修復的動機及使用狀況。

The Pantheon is one of the best preserved Roman monuments in Rome. It represents a great breakthrough in building technology and space arrangement. However, this masterpiece remains a mystery.
1. The inscription across the front of the Pantheon reads that Agrippa built it during his 3rd consulship in the 1st century BC; however, the brick marks of the walls dated back to the 2nd century. When was the Pantheon actually built?
2. The current layout of the Pantheon faces north while a seemly entrance appears at the south elevation. Which one was the original entrance?
3. Circular space is obviously a special feature of this temple. Why does the temple face the northern plaza with its traditional temple form while the unique round shape of the building was hidden behind the temple-shaped façade?
4. In the traditional temple space, only the priests could enter the temple. This temple provided a large interior space worshiping all gods; however, the congregations could not enter the temple to worship the gods, but participated in the rituals outside. How did they actually use this temple at that time?
The aforementioned questions have puzzled many archaeologists in history. This article first analyses the space structure of the Pantheon. From the ancient historical record and archaeological evidence, it further infers the construction history of the Pantheon and its space forms at different stages. Finally, based on the construction history, this article seeks to discover the motivation of building and restoring the Pantheon and the usage of this temple.