Problem
When studied The Roman Pantheon, (CE 118-125), we saw the architectural use of a cast-concrete dome that rested on a cylinder, using coffering, a network of ribs that were used to reinforce the shell of the dome and direct its weight to the ground.
The dome of Hagia Sophia rest on a different set of architectural forms.
By referring to images and information available online (short essay from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, as well as Plates 9-6, 9-7, 9-8 in Gardner's 16th Edition, and/ or other resources (in module) that reveal the underpinnings of Hagia Sophia's main dome, explain what the architects, Anthemius of Tralles and Isidorus of Miletus were able to use to support the main dome of Hagia Sophia.
What did these two men achieve by using these particular structural elements to support this dome?
Be sure to use your references properly by crediting your sources. Quoted information from our book requires parenthetical page references. Cite other sources by Title, Author, and page number.