Italian triumphal arches at a glance
Arch of Constantine: 315 AD. Colosseum side. Free exterior. The most complete Roman triumphal arch | Arch of Titus: 81 AD. Roman Forum (Parco Colosseo ticket €18). Oldest Menorah image | Arch of Septimius Severus: 203 AD. Roman Forum. Partially restored | Arch of Trajan Benevento: 114 AD. Best-preserved Roman arch. Free exterior | Arch of Augustus Rimini: 27 BC. Oldest surviving Roman arch. Still in original position
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The Arch of Constantine, spolia and the quality problem
The Arch of Constantine (315 AD, built by the Roman Senate to commemorate Constantine's victory over Maxentius at the Milvian Bridge in 312 AD, the battle that made Constantine sole emperor of the western Empire) stands between the Colosseum and the Palatine Hill on Via Sacra. It is the largest surviving Roman triumphal arch (21 metres high, 25.7 metres wide, 7.4 metres deep) and the most compositionally complex, three archways (the central barrel-vault flanked by two narrower arches) decorated with sculpture from four different periods and four different artistic traditions. The specific spolia archaeology: the eight large panels above the side arches (four on each long face of the arch) were taken from a lost monument to Marcus Aurelius (161-180 AD). The eight roundels (the circular medallion reliefs showing hunting and sacrifice scenes) were taken from a Hadrianic monument (117-138 AD). And the four Dacian prisoner statues on the attic were taken from a Trajanic monument (probably the Forum of Trajan). All the original portrait heads were recut to show Constantine's face. The quality difference between the recycled 2nd-century panels and the original 4th-century carving (the frieze running around the entire arch at mid-level, showing Constantine's military campaign and his entry into Rome) is stark and visible without specialist knowledge, the 2nd-century figures are deeply modelled, anatomically specific, and spatially coherent. The 4th-century frieze shows flat, schematic, crowded figures that lack the volumetric depth of the earlier carving. This quality decline has been interpreted as: a shortage of skilled sculptors in Rome's declining population. A deliberate shift to a more 'readable' abstract style suited to the large public audience. And the specific political decision to use visually impressive earlier monuments rather than commission inferior new work. Rome guide
The Arch of Titus and the Menorah relief
The Arch of Titus (81 AD, built by the Emperor Domitian to commemorate his brother Titus's destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD) stands at the highest point of Via Sacra, at the entry to the Roman Forum from the Colosseum end. It is the oldest surviving triumphal arch in Rome (the Arch of Augustus, 29 BC, has survived only as fragmentary pieces) and contains the most historically specific Roman relief sculpture: the inner vault panels show the triumphal procession after the sack of Jerusalem, with Roman soldiers carrying the seven-branched Menorah, the trumpets, and the Table of Shewbread from the Temple of Jerusalem. The Menorah panel is the oldest surviving image of the Second Temple Menorah and one of the primary archaeological sources for the specific appearance of the Temple's sacred furniture. The specific Jewish historical significance: the Arch of Titus was the monument through which Roman Jews traditionally refused to walk, the arch commemorates the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple (70 AD) and the beginning of the Jewish Diaspora. After the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, the Chief Rabbinate of Rome formally walked through the arch in reverse (from Rome toward Jerusalem) to symbolise the end of the Diaspora. The Arch of Titus is within the Roman Forum (Parco Colosseo ticket, €18. Free for EU citizens 65+ with ID).
What are the Italian triumphal arches?
Italian triumphal arches: the Arch of Constantine (315 AD, Rome, the most complete, adjacent to the Colosseum. Free exterior). The Arch of Titus (81 AD, Roman Forum, the oldest Menorah image; €18 Parco Colosseo ticket). The Arch of Septimius Severus (203 AD, Roman Forum, commemorates Parthian campaigns. Same ticket). The Arch of Trajan at Benevento (114 AD, the best preserved of all Roman arches, entirely original, free exterior). And the Arch of Augustus at Rimini (27 BC, oldest surviving Roman arch, still in its original road position).
What is the Arch of Trajan at Benevento?
The Arco di Traiano at Benevento (province of Benevento, Campania, 60 km northeast of Naples. Built 114 AD) is the best-preserved Roman triumphal arch in the world, more complete in its sculptural program and structural integrity than any arch in Rome itself. Built where Via Traiana (Trajan's road from Benevento to Brindisi) entered the city of Beneventum, the arch commemorates Trajan's Dacian campaigns and his administrative reforms in Italy. The specific Benevento arch quality: all 52 original relief panels survive in situ (contrast with the Arch of Constantine which has panels from four different demolished monuments). The panels show the specific Trajanic artistic style, the dense, clearly legible narrative reliefs of the Column of Trajan period, with each panel documenting specific events of imperial policy (distributions to the poor, troops returning from Dacia, religious sacrifices). Free exterior access. The arch stands on Corso Garibaldi, the main street of Benevento. Benevento also has the most complete Roman theater in southern Italy (2nd century AD, partially reconstructed for performances, €5).
What was the Roman triumphal arch for?
The Roman triumphal arch had no structural function, it didn't support a building, bridge, or vault. Its sole purpose was commemorative and propagandistic: a permanent three-dimensional record of a military victory, a public monument that placed the emperor's achievement in the permanent urban landscape. The tradition: the Roman triumph (the formal victory parade through Rome) was a temporary event that ended at the Temple of Jupiter Capitolinus. The triumphal arch was the permanent version, erected at a significant road junction to force all future passers-by to walk through the emperor's commemorated victory. The specific information recorded on the arch: the dedicatory inscription naming the emperor and his victories. The sculptural program showing the military campaign, the triumphal procession, and the religious ceremonies. And occasionally (the Arch of Titus, the Arch of Trajan at Benevento) specific objects from the victory (the Jerusalem Temple furniture. The Dacian prisoners).
What does the Arch of Titus show inside?
The Arch of Titus inner vault (the ceiling of the central archway) has two main relief panels on the north and south walls: the south panel shows Titus in his triumphal chariot, accompanied by allegorical figures of the goddess Roma leading the horses and Victoria (Victory) crowning Titus from behind. The north panel (the most historically significant) shows the procession of Roman soldiers carrying the spoils of the Jerusalem Temple, the seven-branched Menorah (the most specific image), the silver trumpets (the chatzotzrot), and the portable table used for the Shewbread offering. These objects were taken to Rome after the Temple's destruction and displayed in the Temple of Peace (the Templum Pacis, built by Vespasian in 71-75 AD, whose ruins are visible in Via Sacra area). Their next fate is unknown. Theories include removal to Carthage (409 AD Visigoth sack), to Constantinople, and to the Lateran Palace under Christian Rome, none definitively documented.
What is the Arch of Septimius Severus?
The Arch of Septimius Severus (203 AD, Roman Forum, at the head of Via Sacra near the Curia Julia senate house) commemorates Septimius Severus's campaigns in Parthia (195-196 AD). The four main panels (in pairs on the front and back faces of the arch) show the four major military episodes of the Parthian war in continuous narrative, the first use of the continuous narrative technique (developed on Trajan's Column) in a triumphal arch. The specific historical alteration: the original arch inscription named Septimius Severus and his two sons, Caracalla and Geta. When Caracalla murdered his brother Geta in 211 AD and ordered his memory erased (the damnatio memoriae), the arch inscription was recut to remove Geta's name, the holes from the original bronze letter mountings for Geta's name are visible in the marble, the specific physical evidence of Roman political murder and history revision.
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Arch of Constantine free exterior + Arch of Titus Roman Forum + Arch of Trajan Benevento (the best preserved) + Arch of Augustus Rimini.
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What was the Roman triumph ceremony?
The Roman triumph (triumphus) was the formal victory parade through Rome awarded by the Senate to a general who met specific criteria: a military victory in a declared war. A minimum of 5,000 enemy killed in a single battle (documented in Valerius Maximus). And the commander held the imperium (the legal authority of independent command) throughout the campaign. The triumph procession: from Via Sacra through the Forum, up to the Capitoline Hill and the Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus. The triumphator rode in a four-horse chariot, dressed in the purple toga of Jupiter, face painted red (imitating the cult statue of Jupiter). Behind him, the spoils of war, the prisoners in chains (to be strangled in the Tullianum prison below the Capitoline on the day of the triumph), and his victorious legions. Standing behind the triumphator in the chariot: a public slave holding the golden laurel crown over his head and whispering 'Respice te, hominem memento', 'Look behind you, remember you are a man.' The triumphal arch was the permanent version of the temporary triumph that only lasted one day.
What is the Arch of Augustus in Rimini?
The Arch of Augustus at Rimini (Arco d'Augusto, 27 BC, the oldest surviving Roman arch) marks the point where Via Flaminia (the road from Rome) entered the Roman city of Ariminum (Rimini). Built to commemorate Augustus's restoration of the major Italian road network (Via Flaminia, Via Aemilia, Via Postumia, and Via Popilia), not a specific military victory, the specific political program was the restoration of civilian infrastructure after the chaos of the civil wars. The arch: a single-bay arch, 8.6 metres tall, in local white limestone. The attic inscription dedicates the arch to Augustus from the Roman Senate and People in 27 BC. The arch is in its original road position, now in the traffic of the Corso d'Augusto in central Rimini. Combine with: the Tempio Malatestiano (the 15th-century Rimini cathedral rebuilt by Sigismondo Malatesta as his personal mausoleum, with the Alberti design that was the model for next Renaissance church facades) and the Ponte di Augusto (14 BC, 2 km away, the most complete surviving Roman bridge, all five original arches still carrying traffic).
What other Roman arches are in Italy?
Roman arches in Italy beyond Rome: the Arch of Trajan at Benevento (114 AD, the best preserved, all 52 original relief panels in situ. Free exterior, Via Trajan, Benevento). The Arch of Augustus at Rimini (27 BC, oldest surviving Roman arch, in its original road position on the Corso d'Augusto, free). The Arch of Augustus at Aosta (25 BC, at the Roman city entry on the Via delle Porte Pretoriane, free, the intact Roman bridge and arch are visible from street level). The Arch of Trajan at Ancona (115 AD, at the Ancona harbor entry, the final point of Via Traiana road, free exterior). And the Arco dei Gavi at Verona (1st century AD, a Roman funerary arch preserved in the Cortile del Tribunale, moved from its original road position, free exterior). The Pola Arch (Pula/Pola, Croatia, the Serbian Gate, was originally the most complete Roman arch in the northern Adriatic, but is now outside Italy).
