"Standing just outside the Colosseum on the ancient route to the Roman Forum , the Arch of Constantine is the largest and most conspicuous surviving triumphal arch in the city. Similar in design to the Arch of Septimius Severus, it stood on the Via Sacra (Sacred Way): the processional route taken by victorious generals during their parade through the city.
Passing the Circus Maximus and under the Arch of Constantine, they would then enter the Roman Forum and climb the Capitoline Hill to make offerings at the Temple of Jupiter, before dispersing for the feasts, games and other celebratory events of the day.
The Senate dedicated the arch in AD 315 to commemorate Constantine's victory over his rival Maxentius at the Battle of Milvian Bridge three years earlier. Curiously, the arc does not mention Maxentius, even though it is possible that it was originally dedicated to him. There are two reasons for this: First, it was not a good look for the Romans to monumentalize victories over their fellow Romans. Second, Constantine carried out what we call damnatio memoriae - the damnation of memory - on Maxentius in an attempt to erase any trace of his existence. The fact that we are still talking about him today shows that he failed in this endeavor.
No scenes from the Battle of Milvian Bridge appear in the arc. But if you visit the Vatican Raphael Rooms , you can see a much later fresco, done by Raphael's students, depicting this significant moment in Roman history. And its importance cannot be overstated, because if Constantine had not defeated Maxentius at the Milvian Bridge, then Christianity would never have taken root to become the dominant religion of the Roman Empire and consequently of the world today.
Although we call it the Arch of Constantine, the monument could be more accurately described as an imperial collage that recycles material from the monuments of several previous emperors, including Trajan, Hadrian (who built the Pantheon ), and Marcus Aurelius (whose equine statue stands in the center of the Capitoline Museums ).
Stripped of the color and statuary that once adorned it, the Arch of Constantine is a shell of its former self. Once supported by yellow Corinthian columns of Numidian marble and red, green and purple porphyry that decorated the friezes and statues above it, in its heyday the Arch of Constantine would have been as striking as the Colosseum itself.
During the Middle Ages, the Arch of Constantine, like many other Roman monuments, including the Colosseum, was incorporated into the fortifications of one of the most important aristocratic families in Rome. The family in question were the Frangipani, who in the 12th century also fortified the Colosseum and from whom, according to Boccaccio, Dante descended. By the fifteenth century, however, they had relinquished control of the arch. It was only in the early 12's that the monument underwent the restoration work it needed."
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