Historical Constructions, P.B. Lourenço, P. Roca (Eds.), Guimarães, 2001 197 ABSTRACT: Dome is one of the most efficient shapes in the world since it covers the maximum volume with the minimum surface area. Maintaining larger volumes with no interrupting columns in the middle with an efficient shape would be more efficient and economic. So, the use of domes will help having larger volumes with no interrupting in the middle. Because of this, domes and their development is examined in this study from the viewpoint of material capacities, construction techniques and structural properties. They all limit the size of the domes. By the examination of these buildings, the development of the construction techniques from the year 27 B.C. till today, 2000 A.C., are put forward. In conclusion, a table consisting of all the domes that were taken in consideration here is obtained. All these show the limits of the material by which they are constructed, and the development at the construction techniques. 1 INTRODUCTION Dome is one of the most efficient shapes in the world since it covers the maximum volume with the minimum surface area. And todays trend is to maintain large volumes with no interrupting columns in the middle. Maintaining this with an efficient shape would be more efficient and economic. So, the use of domes will help having larger volumes with no interrupting in the middle. Domes and the development of the domes are examined in this study from the viewpoint of material capacities and construction techniques. These both limit the size of domes. Also, by the examination of these buildings, the development of the construction techniques from the year 27 B.C. till today, 2000 A.C., for over 2 milenniums are put forward. In order to examine the development of domes, the world’s biggest and most important domes are taken in consideration since they show the development in dome construction techniques better. For this reason, The Pantheon in Rome-Italy, Hagia Sophia in Constantinapole-Istanbul-Turkey, Florence Cathedral (Santa Maria del Fiore) in Florence-Italy, Saint Peter’s Cathedral in Rome-Italy, Saint Paul’s Cathedral in London-England and Reichstag in Berlin-Germany are examined. During this examination, the diameter (span), height, structural material, year of construction and structural properties of these domes are taken in consideration. The structural knowledge about these domes are gathered together and put forward in order to show the capacity of the materials used at the constructions of these domes. Tensegrity domes made of steel rods are not taken in consideration in this study because they have different working details and domes of more than 100 meters are constructed by that method. As the time goes, new materials are being used at construction technology. In the early times, stone was being used at domes as in Hagia Sophia that was first built at 360 A.C. At the 17 th and 18 th centuries, brick was being used as in Saint Paul’s Cathedral that was built between 1675 - The structural analysis of domes: From Pantheon until Reichstag Müjde Altin Dokuz Eylül University, Faculty of Architecture, Department of Architecture, Izmir, Turkey