Emperor Constantine 306-337, first Christian Emperor
The Secrets of the Arch of Constantine
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Emperor Constantine 306-337, first Christian Emperor
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| Inscription on the Arch | Latin and English Text of the Arch of Constantine | |
Return to the Emergence of Christianity
Constantine's Arch has always puzzled and intrigued scholars. Recent archeological discoveries have uncovered many of its secrets. Constantine ordered that an existing Arch, dedicated to the Emperor Hadrian, be rebuilt in his honor. The picture below is a sketch of the original Arch. Little has yet appeared in English on these developments. The picture is taken from Adriano: Architettura e progetto (Milano: Electra, 2000). This book gives a good summary of the latest work and a complete bibliography of the literature. For a discussion of the arch that rejects the idea that it was built on a previous arch erected by the Emperor Hadrian see http://www.rome101.com/ArchConstantine/
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Some scholars now believe that Constantine built his arch using a pre-existing arch that Hadrian had built in the second century. Constantine added a story to Hadrian's arch and placed the rectangular sculptural panels that pictured Marcus Aurelius on it. The transformation was completely unknown until very recently when Italians cleaned and examined the arch in great detail. Click on the picture for a diagram of what Constantine added to Hadrian's Arch.
