Roman capital
- Gallery: Room 70
- Culture: Roman
- Made in: Pantheon (Rome)
- Date: 118-128 (circa)
- Object type: capital
- Materials: marble (Giallo Antico)
- Museum number: 1805,0703.278
- Museum: The British Museum
- Collection record: British Museum website
- Image © The Trustees of the British Museum, shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 licence.
Listen to the free audio guide
About this object
Before you stands a Roman capital, originally from the Pantheon in Rome. Crafted from Giallo Antico marble, this pilaster capital once formed part of the ancient temple’s architectural splendor. The Pantheon, a masterpiece of Roman engineering and design, dates to the early second century, around 118 to 128.
This capital was removed in 1747 during a major redesign of the Pantheon’s interior. It later became part of a collection in Britain, purchased in 1805 from Peregrine Edward Towneley, a prominent collector of classical antiquities. These capitals were among many marbles salvaged or re-purposed during 18th- and 19th-century redecorations of historic sites in Rome.
Examining the smooth, elegant curves and proportions, you’re witnessing a fragment of Rome’s enduring architectural legacy.
See it in person
Roman capital is on display in Room 70 at the British Museum on Great Russell Street, Bloomsbury, London — free to enter. Choose British Museum on audioguide.london and take a photo of it to hear this free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
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