Argentarian arch
The so-called Argentarian Arch ( Latin arcus argentariorum , Italian Arco degli Argentari) is a monument at the Forum Boarium in Rome , which was built in honor of the emperor Septimius Severus . Strictly speaking, it is not an arched monument as it does not have a vaulted structure, but consists of two pillars and an architrave .
history
According to the inscription, the monument was dedicated to the emperor and his family in gratitude in 204 by the traders and money changers (argentarii) working at the forum . The exact occasion is unknown; it was probably a matter of introducing a law that was advantageous for these professions. In contrast to the official Roman arches of honor, it was not a state monument, but a private foundation.
In the early Middle Ages, the Argentarian Arch was included in the construction of the Church of San Giorgio in Velabro .
Relief jewelry
The building is decorated with rich relief decorations. Next to the inscription on the architrave is a representation of Hercules . There are reliefs on three sides of the pillars, only those on the inside are well preserved. They show sacrificial scenes and the family of Septimius Severus, of which only the figures of the emperor himself, his wife Iulia Domna and his son Caracalla have survived. Figures have been deliberately removed from both reliefs - they were Caracalla's brother Geta , his wife Plautilla and their father Plautian , who had Caracalla murdered in 212 and assigned the damnatio memoriae .
reception
The Argentarian arch served as a model for the triumphal gate in Potsdam .
literature
- DEL Haynes , PED Hirst: Porta Argentariorum. Macmillan, London 1939.
- Massimo Pallotino : L'Arco degli Argentari. Rome 1946.
- Barbara Tasser: The Argentarian Arch at the Forum Boarium in Rome. Unpublished diploma thesis at the University of Innsbruck 1998. ( summary ).
Web links
Coordinates: 41 ° 53 '22.2 " N , 12 ° 28' 58.8" E