Apollodorus was born in Damascus around the year 60. He was one of the greatest architects of Rome, with a clear Hellenic influence. He served the emperor Trajan planning and carrying out monumental works, such as Trajan's bridge over the Danube river (year 104), the Quirinal markets in Rome (2nd century), Trajan's baths, and Trajan's forum, as well as ports, triumphal arches, and other public works.
One of his best-known works is Trajan's Column, a structure thirty meters high and four meters in diameter, completely carved, which tells the story of Trajan's victory in the war against the Dacians. The column was inaugurated in the year 113 and is built in marble.
He is also credited with the Pantheon of Agrippa (125-128), one of the few examples of ancient Roman architecture whose structure is still preserved in good condition.
According to the Roman historian Dio Cassius, Apollodorus was sentenced to death in 133 by order of the then emperor Hadrian, who had him executed for having rebuked his desire for architecture. However, some modern historians doubt the veracity of that statement.
One of his best-known works is Trajan's Column, a structure thirty meters high and four meters in diameter, completely carved, which tells the story of Trajan's victory in the war against the Dacians. The column was inaugurated in the year 113 and is built in marble.
He is also credited with the Pantheon of Agrippa (125-128), one of the few examples of ancient Roman architecture whose structure is still preserved in good condition.
According to the Roman historian Dio Cassius, Apollodorus was sentenced to death in 133 by order of the then emperor Hadrian, who had him executed for having rebuked his desire for architecture. However, some modern historians doubt the veracity of that statement.
