The Dativius-Victor Arch - Mainz - Ancient Roman Civilization on Waymarking.com

In the 3rd Century A.D., the Roman Empire’s control of the Rhine was slowly but surely well into its decline. The Limes fortification and defense system, extending from the southern and eastern parts of the country northwesterly to the eastern banks of the Rhine, was already seriously threatened by German tribes. The members of the upper classes residing in this area removed themselves and their families to the more secure areas on the left or western banks of the Rhine. Dativius-Victor, a district counselor from Nida,( now part of Frankfurt-Heddernheim,) did the same. Surely out of gratitude for the friendly reception accorded him by his new Mainz neighbors in this more peaceful area , this wealthy citizen donated the arch that still bears his name today, as well as a fine, column—supported hall.

Close to the Roman-Germanic Central Museum stands a replica of the arch built in 1962, while the original resides safely in the Landesmuseum. Located above the arch’s frieze displaying the symbols of the zodiac, sit the ancient reigning gods of antiquity, Jupiter and Juno, enthroned in the center. Later, as the Germanic incursions became an increasing threat even for Moguntiacum, a new city wall was erected in the middle of the 4th Century. In order to speed construction, existing buildings such as temples and walls and graveyard memorials were “re-cycled.” As a result of the cannibalization even stone blocks from the Dativius-Victor Arch were used, solidly implanted in the foundations of the city wall. These blocks were eventually excavated and reassembled between 1898 and 1911. Today the arch stands near the Fichteplatz where it assuredly once stood almost 2,000 years ago.

Most Relevant Historical Period: Roman Empire > 27 B.C. Admission Fee: Free Opening days/times: 24/7 Web Site: [Web Link] Condition: Completely intact or reconstructed

Visit Instructions:
A complete sentence or two or an uploaded photo taken by the waymarker will be required in the log to confirm that the logger is participating in the hobby in good faith. Logs of only a few words like "Visited it" without an original photo are subject to deletion.

Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log User Rating   05/04/2016 Team Keks visited it 09/26/2015 VT9A5CC visited it 05/22/2015 dajumaro visited it 05/21/2015 zarkier visited it 05/20/2015 Kullisak visited it 05/16/2015 GeoLog81 visited it 05/16/2015 Eichelhaeher visited it 05/16/2015 Ewwerschter58 visited it 05/16/2015 lillesandler visited it 05/16/2015 Team Haihappen visited it 05/16/2015 Herzilein visited it 05/16/2015 Bush-Rescue visited it 05/16/2015 Uodiuqib visited it 05/15/2015 johnny lightning visited it 05/15/2015 sparadrap + tibecom visited it 05/14/2015 Ulven7470 visited it 05/14/2015 der Pinguinclan visited it 05/13/2015 Frankys1982 visited it 05/04/2014 Eibacher Kuckuck visited it 09/27/2012 waldi994a visited it 07/14/2012 prussel visited it 03/17/2012 hawaiihemden visited it 08/16/2011 Grauer Star visited it 10/03/2010 MrsBean visited it 03/06/2009 Cachologen visited it

View all visits/logs