In 476 AD, the fall of the Roman Empire marked the beginning of the Middle Ages. However, before its fall, the empire was divided into the Eastern and Western Roman Empires. In 476, the "Western Roman Empire" fell, while the Eastern Roman Empire, whose capital became Constantinople, preserved Roman culture and became the Byzantine Empire (Tomlinson, 41). And while the architecture of the Byzantine Empire was primarily based on the great legacy of Roman formal and technical achievements, their forms are more different than similar. The Pantheon in Rome "one of the greatest structures and most influential buildings of all time" (Trachtenberg, 139) is often compared to the Hagia Sophia, the "one work that realizes the ideal Byzantine model" (Trachtenberg, 173). Although the Pantheon in Rome has provided a model for the Hagia Sophia, the different
             Architectural styles have proven them more different than alike.
             The Pantheon in Rome, which was dedicated to all the Gods, was built by Hadrian between AD 118 and 128. It consists of three major elements: a domed cella, a Corinthian porch, and a rectangular structure between the two, connecting them. This was very similar to the basic setup of the traditional Roman temple, however, what makes the Pantheon so remarkable is mainly its size. After passing through the 85-foot-high porch and the 20-foot wide and 40-foot high doorway, one would enter the cylindrical base 142 feet in diameter. The hemispherical dome above, whose height reaches 142 feet above the floor with a central opening (oculus), open to the sky. The walls consist of eight large widely separately piers leaving eight niches, with one as the entrance and the others as statues of the gods.
             Hagia Sophia was built as the new Cathedral of Constantinople by the Emperor Justinian in 532. The building was completed in 537, with Hagia Sophia under construction for only 5 years. Both the speed of the ...