Tourist's Guide to the Arch of Constantine

Home

The Arch of Constantine -
a tourist's guide

Bill Storage & Nick Stavrinides
Photos by Bill Storage and Laura Maish *

Email us about this page

The Arch of Constantine is a free exhibit, adjacent to the Colosseum, (as shown above) that is open year round. You can reach it by the 75, 85, 87, 175, or 810 buses, the No. 3 tram, and the Metro train (Colosseo stop).

This page is aimed at tourists, and does not require any prior knowledge of antiquities or classics. For a much more detailed discussion including references, see our scholar's guide to The Arch.

The Arch of Constantine is the largest of Rome’s great triumphal arches, strategically located on the route followed by victorious generals as they made their triumphal processions along the Sacred Way between the Caelian and Palatine Hills.

Over the last century, scholars have debated the origin of this monument, some concluding that it originally commemorated Domitian or Hadrian, emperors from centuries before Constantine. Scientific analysis has now confirmed that it does in fact belong to the time of Constantine I. The arch’s inscription indicates that it was erected by decree of the Senate and Roman People in the 10^th year of Constantine’s reign, or decennalia (A.D. 315).

The Latin phrase “instinctu divinitatis” has generated lively debate. Is it referring to Constantine’s vision of the cross? The historian Eusebius tells us that Constantine had such a vision, seeing a cross in the sky shortly before his victory over Maxentius. Eusebius writes:

As he was praying with intense fervor, an extraordinary heavenly sign appeared to him…Around noon, with the sun just beginning to fall, he declared that he saw with his own eyes the victorious sign of the [Christian] cross, shaped from the light in the sky above the sun. An inscription [in Greek] accompanied the image of the cross: “By this sign, conquer.”

Constantine’s son’s tutor, Lactantius gives a less dramatic different account, involving a dream. Modern scholars hold a broad range of opinions on Constantine’s commitment to Christianity.

Always the consummate politician, Constantine was reluctant to specify which – if any – god was the source of his inspiration. He may be alluding to Christ’s intervention, the god Sol Invictus, pictured on one end of the arch, both, or perhaps something entirely different. It seems likely that he and the senate deliberately created ambiguity in this phrasing in attempt to placate both pagans and Christians, who could equally claim ownership to his unnamed divinity. Always mindful of not offending the still widely popular pagan beliefs within the city of Rome, his most famous Christian donations, the basilicas of St. John Lateran and St. Peter’s, were built just outside the city. Constantine’s vacillating allegiance to paganism and Christianity is fascinating: he was high-priest to the cult of Sol Invictus (“The Unconquerable Sun), and, though baptized only on his deathbed, he maintained Christian leanings all his life.

Let’s examine the decorative elements of the arch. During the late Roman period, emperors made a habit of re-using material from earlier periods. Constantine raised this practice to new heights. Eight statues of Dacian prisoners appear along its top (fig. 3), depicted as proud and noble; Roman artisans often depicted captives in this dignified way. These statues, carved from a creamy white marble with purple veins, quarried in Asia Minor, were probably taken from the Forum of Trajan, a sprawling propaganda monument in honor of the emperor who pacified Dacia, modern-day Romania.. The rectangular reliefs, two on the short sides of the attic and two on the sides of the interior passage, were probably once part of a large panel belonging to Trajan’s time. They, too, depict events from the Dacian campaigns (A.D. 101-102, 105-106).

The eight rectangular relief panels in the attic are from an earlier monument dedicated to Marcus Aurelius. Marcus's head has been replaced by that of Constantine in all the panels, where Marcus/Constantine is engaged in acts of conquest, ritual, generosity and clemency. One panel bears the remnants of Marcus's son, Commodus, who was erased from the scene upon his condemnation by the Senate (fig.6).

fig. 3 Dacian prisoner	(click photos to enlarge) 4 Attic, north side, left
5 Attic, north side, right	6 Detail of panel showing removal of Commodus
7 Attic, south side, left	8 Attic, south side, right

The eight circular reliefs (roundels or tondos), each measuring over six feet in diameter, date from the reign of the emperor Hadrian. Set in porphyry slabs and arranged in pairs over the side passageways, they depict Hadrian hunting lion and bear, and sacrificing to Diana, Silvanus, Apollo, and Hercules. Hadrian’s boyfriend, Antinous, appears in some of the roundels, and thus confirms the attribution to Hadrian’s reign. On each side of the central inscriptions carved on both sides of the attic, are two pairs of relief panels, which depict the philosopher-emperor Marcus Aurelius during his Germanic campaign of A.D. 175.

9 Attic, Trajanic panel	10 Roundels of Hadrian above Constantinian frieze
11 Roundel of Hadrian - bear hunt	12 Sacrifice to Diana
13 Lion hunt	14 Sacrifice to Hercules
15 Sacrifice to Silvanus	16 Constantinian roundel - Sol Invictus
17 Constantinian roundel - Luna	18 Victory on spandrel

Constantine’s decision to expropriate these beautifully executed carvings included a desire to associate himself with Rome’s legendary good emperors, both to legitimize his reign and proclaim to his citizens, “ I can be a good ruler, too.” Thus he links himself with the enlightened reign of Marcus Aurelius who is shown performing virtuous acts on behalf of the Roman people and state: distributing gifts to the poor, showing clemency to a barbarian prince, and performing a sacrifice before battle.

But the most interesting sculpture, despite what many feel is inferior artistry, is the frieze which wraps around the lower arch above the side passageways. We won’t attempt to describe every detail of the narrative, but will give the highlights of this significant, pivotal moment in Constantine’s career:

Starting on the west side, the frieze depicts Constantine riding his chariot and his army departing Milan (fig. 19) to attack Maxentius, the last man standing in Constantine’s quest for sole supremacy of the Empire. Maxentius, “the tyrant” mentioned in the inscription is about to meet his Waterloo at the Milvian Bridge outside Rome’s gates. The story continues on the south side with the siege of a city, probably Verona. Victory crowns Constantine who is protected by bodyguards (fig. 20).

19 Departure from Milan	20 Victory above Constantine
21 Seige of Verona	22 Battle at Milvian Bridge
23 Arrival in Rome	24 The Rostra
25 Constantine on throne	26 Distribution of money

The next scene shows the climactic battle of the Milvian Bridge: Constantine’s victory is a fait accompli with the presence of the personifications of Victory and Virtue. Alas, his enemies are drowning in the river Tiber (fig. 22). The short eastern side shows the emperor’s triumphal procession into Rome. Continuing on the north side we now see our conquering hero addressing the citizens of Rome at the Rostra (fig. 24). Observe that he’s the only figure shown frontally. And in the last scene he is seated on a high throne, facing the viewer (head now missing - fig. 25). Surrounded by men in togas, Constantine, á la Marcus Aurelius, oversees the distribution of gifts to the public. This hieratic representation of the emperor suggests a new concept of sovereignty and lordship (dominus), a near deification of Rome’s first citizen. This trend toward divine worship began with Augustus and would continue through the reign of Theodosius I.

For all his shortcomings, including his violent, unrestrained impulses, which he unleashed against his family - many innocent members were executed - Constantine proved a capable administrator who encouraged the growth of commerce, invested in rebuilding the empire’s crumbling infrastructure, and restored a sense of unity in the wake of the Roman world’s long years of disintegration and internal conflict.

Many books on Roman ruins and history of art discuss the Arch of Constantine. Be aware that many of the classics that deal with Roman art history contain outdated information on the arch. The best guide to Roman sculpture at this time happens to also be easy to read even without a background in classics:

Roman Sculpture (Yale Publications in the History of Art) (1994) by Diana E. E. Kleiner
(This is by far the best and most complete guide to Roman sculpture in existence, and does not suffer at all from the obtuse language plaguing much of the art history world.)

Readers interested in the life of Constantine might enjoy the following books. A few favorites are:

Constantine and the Bishops: The Politics of Intolerance (Ancient Society and History)
by H. A. Drake (2002)
(Note that Drake and Barnes have reached very different conclusions)

Life of Constantine (Vita Constantina) (Clarendon Ancient History Series)
by Eusebius, with introduction by Averil Cameron and Stuart Hall

About the photos: These photos were taken between September 2003 and September 2006 using Canon 20D and Canon 5D digital SLR cameras. Photos 1 and 2 used a Canon 17-40mm f/4 zoom lens. The remainder were shot with Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 and Canon 70-200 f/2.8 IS lenses. We were fortunate to be in Rome long enough to wait for partially cloudy days, during which the strong shadows that haunt the south side of the arch were manageable. We used long lenses to avoid looking up too steeply at the sculptures. Given the opportunity to re-shoot this subject, I'd use even longer lenses and shoot on cool days or in the morning to avoid haze. My first choice would be the Canon 300mm f/4 IS, a very underrated lens. Nikon users might try the Nikkor 300mm f/4D ED IF AF-S, a very sharp lens that is also lightweight. Note that you can get some height on the north side of the arch by shooting from the upper floors of the Colosseum.