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Arch of Gallienus |
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| Unless otherwise indicated, pictures on this page © Marco Prins and Jona Lendering. Photos can be downloaded and used for non-commercial purposes, but you have to acknowledge Livius. | ||
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The Arch of Gallienus is in fact one of the gates of the Servian wall, which surrounded Rome from the fourth century BCE. Its original name was Porta Esquilina. The gate was rebuilt by the emperor Augustus (30 BCE - 14 CE; he also ordered the reconstruction of another ancient gate, the Arch of Dolabella). By then, there were two smaller arches to the left and right of the Esquiline gate, but they were demolished during the Renaissance. |
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The triple gate was converted into a triumphal arch by the time of
the emperor Gallienus (260-268), who tried to keep the empire together
in the difficult third quarter of the third century. The arch, seen from
the east. The building to the right is the church of San Vito.
The inscription (CIL
VI.1106) reads
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SVPERACTA EST ET SALONONAE SANCTISSIMAE AVGVSTAE AVRELIVS VICTOR Vir Egregius DICTATTISSIMVS NVMINI MAIESTATISQVE EORVM |
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Which means that
Aurelius Victor, the excellent man, [dedicated this] in complete devotion to their majesties' will, to Gallienus, the most clement emperor, whose unconquerable virtue is only outdone by his piety, and to the sacred empress Salonina. |
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The arch seen from the west. The road leading to the west was called the Clivus Suburanus and is is identical to the modern Via S. Vito and Via S. Martino. The sequel, the Via S. Madonna dei Monti, follows the course of the ancient Argiletum, the main road to the Forum. | |
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Detail of the eastern face of the arch.
A satellite photo can be found here. |
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