The Pantheon's concrete dome gets lighter as it rises — ChillScroll

A coffered Roman dome with an open oculus and a bright oval of sunlight

The Pantheon's concrete dome gets lighter as it rises

The Romans built the dome in layers and changed the concrete mixture toward the top. Near the oculus, they used scoria, a lightweight volcanic rock, to reduce the load high above the floor.

The higher the dome climbs, the lighter its stones become.

Source · Smarthistory ↗