This paper will argue that the "reading" of the Pantheon as an embodiment of Roman
architectural values is problematic at
best. It will be seen that while it embodies distinctive features of Roman
architectural design, in many respects the Pantheon's design also seems to reflect a sense of "play" not normally associated with Roman culture. A complex of contradictions that may be said to mirror its builder, the cosmopolitan Hadrian, and his empire at its height.