Caracalla Arch (Tebessa)

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Caracalla Arch in Tebessa

The Arch of Caracalla in the Algerian town of Tebessa , the ancient Theveste, is a four-sided quadrifron that was erected as an arch of honor between 211 and 214 in honor of Caracalla , his mother Julia Domna and his father Septimius Severus .

The sheet was removed from the legacy of Gaius Cornelius Egrilianus, one of Theveste derived prefect the Legio XIV Gemina , 250,000 sestertii donated. In Byzantine times, the arch was used as the north gate of the newly built city wall, for which two sides of its passages were walled up.

The arch has a square floor plan with a side length of 10.94 meters and a height of 10.93 meters from the base up to and including the entablature . So it followed a perfectly cubic design.

The front sides of the arch pillars are framed by two pilasters each to the left and right of the passages . The pilasters correspond to aedicule- like column positions of the Corinthian order on individual pedestals , which are individually cranked with the arched pillars . The entablature following the pillars is cranked with the entablature of the actual arch. The dedication inscriptions to the already deified Septimius Severus, Julia Domna and Caracalla are placed above the arches in the frieze zone on three sides . An inscription on the fourth frieze side is from Byzantine times.

Medallions with images of gods are attached on three sides above the apex of the arch, while a corresponding element is missing on the fourth side. On the walls of the passage is the inscription of the founder. Above the passages stood four aedicules on the entablature, which presumably housed the statues of the well-known honorees and the statue of Geta , brother Caracallas, who was later punished with the damnatio memoriae . How the bow was covered is uncertain. Think of an octagonal construction or a dome .

literature

  • Jean Meunier: L'arc de Caracalla à Théveste (Tébessa). Relevé et restitution. In: Revue africaine. Vol. 82, 1938, pp. 84-106.
  • Umberto Ciotti: Del coronamento degli archi quadrifronti. I. Gli archi di Tébessa e di Tripoli. In: Bullettino della commissione archeologica comunale di Roma. Vol. 72, 1946-1948, pp. 21-42.
  • Pietro Romanelli : Theveste . In: Enciclopedia dell'Arte Antica, Classica e Orientale . Volume 7. Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana, Rome 1966.
  • Lidiano Bacchielli: Il testamento di C. Cornelio Egriliano e il coronamento dell'arco di Caracalla a Tebessa. In: Attilio Mastino (ed.): L'Africa romana. Atti del IV convegno di studio (Sassari, December 12-14, 1986). Dipartimento di Storia, Università degli Studi di Sassari, Sassari 1987, pp. 295-321.
  • Enrico Zanini: Tebessa . In: Enciclopedia dell'arte medievale. Volume 11. Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana, Rome 2000

Web links

Commons : Caracalla Arch in Tebessa  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 35 ° 24 '17.6 "  N , 8 ° 7' 22.1"  E