Place of birth: Damascus, Roman Syria

Period: flourished in the 2nd century CE; active under Trajan and traditionally said to have been executed around 130 CE under Hadrian.

Apollodorus of Damascus was one of the most distinguished architects and engineers of the Roman imperial world. Born in  Damascus, he became closely associated with Emperor Trajan and is remembered for works that joined architecture, military engineering, infrastructure, and urban monumentality at the highest scale. His career reflects an exceptional command of planning, construction, and structural invention, visible in both civic monuments and major engineering works. He is especially linked with Trajan’s great building program in Rome, including the Forum of Trajan, Trajan’s Markets, the Basilica Ulpia, and Trajan’s Column, as well as the great bridge over the Danube and triumphal arches at Benevento and Ancona. Ancient tradition also connects his later life with a conflict under Hadrian that ended in banishment and death, though the details remain uncertain. Although the Pantheon’s architect is not securely known, Apollodorus has often been connected with it in later scholarship because of its Roman imperial setting, technical ambition, and mastery of large-scale design.

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Selected Works

• Trajan’s Forum

• Trajan’s Markets

• Basilica Ulpia

• Trajan’s Column

• Pantheon, Rome (architect unknown; sometimes associated with Apollodorus in later scholarship)