Pious and fortunate, the Senate and People of Romeīecause by divine inspiration and his own greatness of spiritĭedicated this arch as a mark of triumph. To the emperor Flavius Constantine the Great The letters would originally have been inlaid with gilded bronze. The inscription, above the central arch, is a long one and is repeated on both sides of the arch. This showed that the artistic level had declined during the continual civil wars over the previous century and was symbolic of the Roman Empire’s decline. These decorations stand out from the rest because they lack realism and are of a lower quality compared to the ones from the era of Trajan and Hadrian. It shows Constantine’s army driving Maxentius’ troops into the Tiber. The frieze depicts episodes from the battle against Maxentius. ![]() The decorations on the central and lower part were created specifically for this triumphal arch. The eight medallions set in pairs above the side arches, alternately representing scenes of hunting and sacrifice, are from the time of Hadrian nearly two hundred years earlier. The eight rectangular reliefs in the attic come from an arch erected in AD 176 to celebrate the victories of Marcus Aurelius. The eight sculptures at the top of the arch were from the Forum of Trajan and are a representation of Dacian warriors whom the Trajans successfully defeated in a war. Many of the decorative sculptures on the Arch of Constantine have been incorporated from other monuments. ![]() The ends of the arch were also decorated, which was not always the case in triumphal monuments. The general layout of the main facade is identical on both sides of the arch, consisting of four columns on bases, dividing the structure into a central arch and two lateral arches, the latter being surmounted by two round reliefs over a horizontal frieze. Above the archways is placed the attic, composed of brickwork reveted (faced) with marble. It has three archways, the central one being 11.5 m (37.7 ft) high and 6.5 m (21.3 ft) wide and the lateral archways 7.4 m (24.3 ft) by 3.4 m (11.5 ft) each. The arch, decorated with statues and reliefs, has survived the times relatively unscathed. The Arch of Constantine is the largest of the three remaining imperial triumphal arches in Rome.
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