Germanicus arch

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The Arch of Germanicus on the banks of the Charente in Saintes

The Arch of Germanicus is a Roman arch of honor in Saintes , France . It was built in the year 18 or 19 for Emperor Tiberius and his (adoptive) sons Drusus and Germanicus . The arch was donated by a wealthy citizen of the ancient Mediolanum Santonum , Gaius Iulius Rufus.

The double arch was originally built on the Roman bridge over the Charente , i.e. at the end of the road from Lyon (Lugdunum) . Because of the demolition of the bridge, the structure was dismantled in 1843 at the suggestion of Prosper Mérimée , who was then the highest commissioner for monument protection , and reconstructed by 15 meters. In 1851 the arch was restored.

Dedication and dating

The dedication of the attic is badly damaged in the part naming Emperor Tiberius and his adopted son Drusus. The better preserved inscription for Tiberius' other nephew and adopted son Germanicus allows the arch to be dated to the year 18 or 19; she gave the monument its common name.

GERMANICO [CAESA] R [I] TI (berii) AUG (usti) F (ilio)
DIVI AUG (usti) NEP (oti) DIVI IULI PRONEP (oti)
[AUGU] RI FLAM (ini) AUGUST (ali) CO (n) S (uli) II IMP (eratori) II

For Germanicus Caesar, son of Tiberius Augustus, grandson of the divine Augustus, great-grandson of the divine Julius, Augur, Flemish Augustalis, consul and emperor for the second time .

Benefactor

Below the dedication, an inscription panel gives the names of the founder C. Iulius Rufus and his ancestors. They are repeated on each side of the arch.

C (aius) IVLIUS C (ai) IVLI CATVANEVNI F (ilius) RVFVS C (ai) Iul (i) AGEDOMOPATIS NEPOS EPOTSOROVIDI PRONEP (os) VOLT (inia) /
SACERDOS ROMAE ET AVGVSTI AD ARAM QVAE EST AD CONFLVENTEM PRAEFECTVS FABRVM D (e) S (ua) P (ecunia) F (ecit)

Gaius Iulius Rufus, son of Gaius Iulius Catuaneun (i) us, grandson of Gaius Iulius Agedomopas, great-grandson of Epotsovirid (i) us, priest of the Roma and Augustus at the altar that is at the confluence (the Rhone and the Saone, i.e. in Lyon), Praefectus fabrum , donated (this arch).

The emphasis on this parentage testifies to the aristocratic consciousness of Rufus and the anchoring of his family at the head of the civitas Santonum . Julius Agedomopas was the first member of the family to receive Roman citizenship , apparently thanks to Gaius Iulius Caesar , perhaps during or shortly after the Gallic Wars . Rufus was the first of his line to adopt a completely Roman name without retaining an epithet of Celtic origin - an indication of the progressive and self-chosen Romanization of the Gallic notables. Rufus is also known as a priest of the Roma and Augustus from an inscription on the ancient amphitheater in Lyon.

literature

  • L. Maurin: Saintes Antique des origines à la fin du sixième siècle après Jésus Christ , Saintes 1978.
  • L. Maurin: Carte archéologique de la Gaule 17/2: Saintes. Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres, Paris 2007, ISBN 2-87754-190-8 .

Remarks

  1. ↑ CIL 13, 1036 = Inscriptions Latines des trois Gaules , 148.
  2. ↑ CIL 13, 1036 = Inscriptions Latines des trois Gaules , 148; the text of the inscription has been simplified above and follows the reading by L. Maurin, which is widely accepted today ( Inscriptions Latines d'Aquitaine, Santons, No. 7) .

Web links

Commons : Germanicusbogen  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 45 ° 44 ′ 45.6 "  N , 0 ° 37 ′ 44.8"  W.