Confrere:
When I visited Italy I was told that a lot of the domes collapsed and the builders learned to build in base rings and leave a hole in the top, among other solutions to prevent collapse. Just like the Pantheon the domes in Hadrian's Villa also had holes. I looked but could not find signs of use as a sundial and when I asked I was told that it was in most cases lost information. The reason is that when Rome fell all of the building were plundered. The only ones that had any hope of survival were the ones that came under the church rule. Thus the Pantheon. Once you have this picture it is easy to see where the marble and fixtures were removed or walls patched. And you would wonder about what the reason for some of the design that partially remained. Still holding the thought that it also served as a sundial of sorts, the Indian Museum in Washington DC US might be related. There is a prism built into the wall and you can watch the sun walk along the walls as the earth revolves and at a certain point it focuses on a point inlaid in the floor which you can see if there are not exhibits. I saw so many sundials in Italy that I could not help grinning thinking that a clockmaster traveled to each to check the accuracy of the time.
Steve Yorktown VA
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