An Arch is a curved structure spanning an opening, formed of wedge-shaped parts resting at the two extremities. A triumphal arch is a structure in the shape of a monumental archway.

Commemorative arches are large monuments built to honor important men or events. The Romans erected commemorative arches, called triumphal arches, to emperors and generals, celebrating military victories.

Here’s a collection of Roman triumphal arches built in the different parts of the ones mighty Roman Empire.

The Arch of Titus – Rome, Italy

To commemorate the sack and capture of Jerusalem in 70, which effectively terminated the Jewish war that begun in 66, Emperor Domitian constructed a Pentelic marble triumphal arch with a single arched opening, located on the Via Sacra just to the south-east of the Forum in Rome and was called the Arch of Titus. It was built shortly after the death of Domitian’s older brother Titus (born AD 41, emperor 79-81). The Arch of Titus has provided the general model for many of the triumphal arches erected since the 16th century.

Trajan’s Arches

Many triumphal arches were built in honor of Emperor Trajan. The Arches of Trajan were built in the manner of triumphal arches (although they do not celebrate military victories) in a number of places in the Roman Empire during the reign of Trajan. By contrast, when it came to commemorating his military achievements in Rome itself, he chose a column rather than the more standard arch. The Arches of Trajan include

The Arch of Trajan in Ancona, Italy

The arch is built of marble and stands 18.5 m high. It was erected in 114/115 as an entrance to the causeway atop the harbor wall in honor of Trajan’s creation of the harbor there. Most of its original bronze enrichments have disappeared. It stands on a high podium approached by a wide flight of steps. The archway, only 3 m wide, is flanked by pairs of fluted Corinthian columns on pedestals. An attic bears inscriptions. The format is that of the Arch of Titus in Rome, but made taller, so that the bronze figures surmounting it, of Trajan, his wife Plotina and sister Marciana, would be a landmark for ships approaching Rome’s greatest Adriatic port.

The Arch of Trajan in Benevento, Italy

The people of Rome and the senate erected an arch to honor Trajan in 114. It has important relief relating to his civil and military deeds and virtues and the history of the Via Traiana (whose entrance into Beneventum it marked). It was enclosed in the walls on its construction but it is now free-standing at the end of a vista.

The Arch of Trajan in Timgad, Algeria

This triumphal arch rises at the west end of the decumanus called Trajan’s Arch. It is 12 meters high and was partially restored in 1900. The arch is principally of sandstone, and is of Corinthian order with three arches, the central one being 11 ft wide. The arch is also known as the Timgad Arch.

The Arch of Trajan in Merida, Spain

This arch was erected in honor Trajan, the emperor from 98-117, he was born in Hispania. The arch marked the entrance of the provincial forum.

Arch of Constantine – Rome, Italy

To commemorate Constantine’s victory over Maxentius at the battle of Milvian Bridge on October 28, 312, the Arch of Constantine, a triumphal arch was erected in Rome. It is situated between the Coloseum and the Palatine Hill. Dedicated in 315, it is the latest of the existing triumphal arches in Rome, from which it differs by spolia, the extensive re-use of parts of earlier buildings.

Arch of Janus – Rome, Italy

The only quadrifrons triumphal arch preserved in Rome, across a crossroads in the Velabrum-Forum Boarium is the Arch of Janus. It was built in the early 4th century of spolia, possibly in honor of Constantine I or Constantius II. Its current name is probably from the Renaissance or later and is not ancient. The name is derived from its four-fronted, four-arched structure.

In the Middle Ages, the Frangipane family transformed the building into a fortress and so it survived intact up until 1830. Then the attic and top were torn down because they were erroneously believed not to belong to the original structure. Fragments of the dedicatory inscription are still preserved inside the nearby church of San Giorgio al Velabro.

Arch of Augustus – Rimini, Italy

This arch was built in honor of Caesar Octavianus Augustus. The Arch of Augustus is situated at the meeting point of Via Flaminia and Via Emilia in the city of Rimini in Italy. The engravings on the monument states that the history of the monument dates back to 27 BC and it is the oldest surviving Roman arches in the world. The Arch of Augustus, Rimini is a popular tourist attraction in Rimini.

Arch of Augustus – Fano, Italy

The Arch of Augustus was the main entrance gate to the city of Fano and marks the arrival of the Via Flaminia on the shores of the Adriatic. It is set in the city’s walls and built in white stone quarried at the Furlo Gorge, 40 km inland. The arch was originally flanked by two circular towers, of which only one survives. On either side of the main six-meter wide archway are two smaller arches. The inscription on the frieze above indicates that it was completed in 10AD.

Arch of Septimus Severus – Rome, Italy

The Arch of Septimius Severus, a triumphal arch, was made of white marble. It is located at the northeast end of the Roman Forum. Dedicated in AD 203 to commemorate the Parthian victories of Emperor Septimus Severus and his two sons, Caracalla and Geta, in the two campaigns against the Parthians of 194/195 and 197-199.

After the death of Septimius Severus, his sons Caracalla and Geta were initially joint emperors. Caracalla had Geta assassinated in 212; Geta’s memorials were destroyed and all images or mentions of him were removed from public buildings and monuments. Accordingly Geta’s image and inscriptions referring to him were removed from the arch.

Arch of Drusus – Rome, Italy

Porta San Sebastiano incorporates the so-called Arch of Drusus (or Arco di Druso), a marble decorated arch of the Aqua Antoniniana aqueduct over the Via Appia, wrongly identified with the arch said by the sources to have been erected on the death of Nero Claudius Drusus (the father of Claudius) in 9 BC. Its actual history is uncertain, but it could have been absorbed during the construction of the wall as the new Porta Appia (or “Porta San Sebastiano”). It is also possible that this same arch is the arch reported the medieval sources under the name of arcus recordatiionis.

Arch of the Sergii – Pula, Croatia

This ancient Roman triumphal arch called the Arch of the Sergii is located in Pula, Croatia. The arch commemorates three brothers of the Sergii family, specifically Lucius Sergius Lepidus, a tribune serving in the twenty-ninth legion that participated in the Battle of Actium and disbanded in 27 BC. This suggests an approximate date of construction: 29-27 BC. The arch stood behind the original naval gate of the early Roman colony. The Sergii were a powerful family of officials in the colony and retained their power for centuries.

Arch of Hadrian – Athens, Greece

The Arch of Hadrian is a monumental gateway resembling – in some respects – a Roman triumphal arch. It spanned an ancient road from the center of Athens to the complex of structures on the eastern side of the city that included the Temple of Olympian Zeus. It has been proposed that the arch was built to celebrate the adventus (arrival) of the Roman Emperor Hadrian and to honor him for his many benefactions to the city, on the occasion of the dedication of the nearby temple complex in 131 or 132 AD.

It is not certain who commissioned the arch, although it is probable that the citizens of Athens or another Greek group were responsible for its construction and design. There were two inscriptions on the arch, facing in opposite directions, naming both Theseus and Hadrian as founders of Athens. While it is clear that the inscriptions honor Hadrian, it is uncertain whether they refer to the city as a whole or to the city in two parts: one old and one new. The early idea, however, that the arch marked the line of the ancient city wall, and thus the division between the old and the new regions of the city, has been shown to be false by further excavation. The arch is located 325m southeast of the Acropolis.

Arch of Galerius – Thessaloniki, Greece

Two neighboring monuments can be found in the city of Thessaloniki, the Arch of Galerius and the Tombof Galerius. It is in the province of Central Macedonia in northern Greece. The Tomb of Galerius is better known as the Rotunda, the Church of Agios Georgios or (in English) the Rotunda of St. George.

Leptis Magna – Al Khums, Libya

Leptis Magna also known as Lectis Magna or Neapolis was a prominent city of the Roman Empire. Its ruins are located in Al Khums, Libya, 130 km east of Tripoli, on the coast where the Wadi Lebda meets the sea. The site is one of the most spectacular and unspoiled Roman ruins in the Mediterranean.

Triumphal Arch – Volubilis, Morocco

The Romans evacuated most of Morocco at the end of the 3rd century AD but, unlike some other Roman cities, Volubilis was not abandoned. However, it appears to have been destroyed by an earthquake in the late fourth century AD. It was reoccupied in the sixth century, when a small group of tombstones written in Latin shows the existence of a community that still dated its foundation by the year of the Roman province. Coins show that it was occupied under the Abbasids: a number of these simply bear the name Walila.

Arch of Marcus Aurelius And Lucius Verus – Tripoli, Libya

This marble monument is called the Arch of Marcus Aurelius, although it commemorates the victories of his brother Lucius Verus. In 161, the Parthian king Vologases IV had attacked the Roman Empire and annihilated the Ninth legion Hispana. Lucius Verus led the counter-attack and sacked the Parthian capital Ctesiphon.

Hadrian’s Gate – Turkey

A triumphal arch was built in the name of Emperor Hadrian who visited Antalya in 130 AD. It was named the Hadrian’s Gate or Hadrianus Gate or TheThree Gates. It has three arched gates. According to the legend, Sultan Belkis, the Queen Sheba, is said to have passed under those gates and enjoyed a happy day in the palace in Aspendos on her way to visit King Solomon. Formerly the city walls enclosed the outside of the gate and it was not used for many years. This may be the reason why it has not been harmed, and it was only revealed when the walls collapsed. It is considered as Pamphylia’s most beautiful Gate. The upper part has three apertures in the shape of a cupola, and except for the pillars is built entirely of white marble. The ornamentation is very striking. The original Gate was two storeys but little is known of the top storey.

Triumphal Arch of Orange – France

The Triumphal Arch of Orange or Arc de triomphe d’Orange (in French) is a triumphal arch located in the town of Orange, southeast France. It was constructed during the reign of Augustus. It was built on the former via Agrippa to honor the veterans of the Gallic Wars and Legio II Augusta. It was later reconstructed by Emperor Tiberius to celebrate the victories of Germanicus over the German tribes in Rhineland. The arch contains an inscription dedicated to Emperor Tiberius in 27 AD. It is decorated with various reliefs of military themes, including naval battles, spoils of war and Romans battling Germanics and Gauls. A Roman foot soldier carrying the shield of Legio II Augusta is seen on the north front battle relief.

Arch of Germanicus – France

This is a triumphal arch called the Arch of Germanicus. It was built at the entrance to a bridge, where the main Roman road crossed the Charente River. The bridge was demolished in 1843 but the Arch was saved and rebuilt at its present location on the bank of the river.

Triumphal Arch at Glanum, France

Saint-Rémy-de-Provence is a commune of southern France, in the Bouches-du-Rhone department, in the former province of Provence.

Many of these triumphal arches have been declared World Heritage Sites by UNESCO to ensure that these are properly restored and taken care of.

For more related articles see

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Famous Commemorative and Triumphal Arches in the World

World’s Most Historic and Notable Columns

Top 10 Most Famous Tombs in the World

The World’s Most Spectacular Obelisks