Located in the heart of Rome is one of the oldest standing buildings in the world.

Unlike other ancient structures, it isn't a ruin.

For almost 2,000 years, it's been in continuous use.

When it was built, it was an unrivaled architectural masterpiece. Today it remains

the largest building of its type having never been surpassed in all of history.

Learn more about the Roman pantheon, how it was built, and what makes it unique, on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. The Pantheon holds the distinction of being the building from the ancient world which has survived into the modern day in the best condition.

Despite showing its age, especially on the exterior, it isn't fundamentally different from what it looked

like about 1900 years ago.

It has been kept in remarkable condition and still brings in millions of visitors annually. Basically, it's not a ruin. It isn't

crumbling and it doesn't require us to envision what it might have looked like when it was

built. The story of the pantheon begins with someone who was the subject of a previous episode,

Marcus Agrippa.

As I noted previously, Agrippa was arguably the best number two guy in history.

He was the best friend of Emperor Augustus since they

attended school together and it was Agrippa who Augustus turned to when he

needed to get something done. Whether it was military or civil, Agrippa could be counted on to make sure that things happened

and that they were seen through to completion.

After the Battle of Actium, where Augustus and Agrippa defeated Mark Antony, it effectually

ended the Civil War and the period of instability

which had plagued Rome for 50 years, starting with the War of Marius and Sulla.

In this new era of peace, Augustus set to rebuilding much of Rome, which at the time wasn't the city of

monumental structures that later became. It was dingy and sprawling, and Augustus didn't think

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