The Arch of Constantine stands beside the Colosseum in Rome, dedicated in AD 315 by the Roman Senate to commemorate the emperor Constantine's victory over Maxentius at the Battle of the Milvian Bridge three years earlier. At roughly 21 meters high, 25.9 meters wide and 7.4 meters deep, it is the largest of Rome's surviving triumphal arches. Much of its sculptural decoration was not carved for the arch itself but taken from earlier monuments honoring the emperors Trajan, Hadrian and Marcus Aurelius, a practice known as spolia, so that the arch visually links Constantine's reign to the empire's earlier golden age. Its triple-arched form, with a large central opening flanked by two smaller ones, became an influential model for later triumphal architecture.
Facts
Building Type LocationRome, between the Colosseum and the Palatine Hill 1 Completed Year Classification
Standing Status Building Type
Building Type (category) Connections
Has Building Type
In Style
Source Arch of Constantine, Wikipedia
Uses Element
Source Arch of Constantine, Wikipedia
Source Arch of Constantine, Wikipedia
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Source Arch of Constantine, Wikipedia
Sources
1. Arch of Constantine, Wikipedia
History section
a triumphal arch
Opening paragraph, location clause
Situated between the Colosseum and the Palatine Hill
Opening paragraph, dedication clause
Dedicated in 315
Opening paragraph, dimensions
21 m (69 ft) high
- infobox building_type/type field: Triumphal arch
History
The arch, which was constructed between 312 and 315, was dedicated by the Senate to commemorate ten years (a decennia) of Constantine's reign (306-337) and his victory over the then reigning emperor Maxentius (306-312) at the Battle of the Milvian Bridge on 28 October 312, as described on its attic inscription, and officially opened on 25 July 315. Not only did the Roman senate give the arch for Constantine's victory, they also were celebrating decennalia: a series of games that happened every decade during the Roman Empire.
Uses Element: Brick, Introduction
The arch is constructed of brick-faced concrete covered in marble.
Uses Element: Marble, Introduction
The arch is constructed of brick-faced concrete covered in marble.
In Style: Roman Architecture, Lead
Dedicated in 315, it is the largest Roman triumphal arch, with overall dimensions of 21 m (69 ft) high, 25.9 m (85 ft) wide and 7.4 m (24 ft) deep.
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