Dome Structures in Ancient Times

Early dome structures include dome-shaped huts made from reeds, saplings, and red clay. The Innuit people in the Arctic also built igloos from ice blocks. Like cob houses, these structures were present in ancient times, specifically in the Middle East, India, and the Mediterranean.

However, older humans didn’t refer to them as geodesic domes because the term was formed in the modern century, the 1920s. Natural space and domes were typical in the Roman Pantheon. 

Romans built large-scale masonry hemispheres that required heavy wall supports. This concept also extended to Byzantine Architecture, the Constantinople building style. Byzantine builders developed a method to raise geodesic domes on piers, allowing lighting and communication from four directions.

They used inverted triangular masses of stones curved vertically and horizontally. The structure's highest point rested on four piers, and the joined sides formed arches over the openings of the four faces of the cube. The bases of the structure also met in a circle, forming the foundation of the dome. 

A prominent dome building in Greece is the Pantheon. It is a large dome supported by walls of cylindrical columns. The Pantheon unites Roman and Greek architectural styles. It has an opening at the top of the structure that serves as the primary light source. The oculus also reduces the dome's weight on the foundation.

Dome architecture went out of style from the 12th to the 16th century because of Gothic architecture. However, it regained its popularity during the Baroque and Renaissance periods. Furthermore, humans reimagined dome architecture in the 20th century by inventing geodesic dome homes.