The Roman Arch

Abstract The freestanding arch is among ancient Rome’s most innovative and distinctive architectural developments. Despite the widespread presence of the arch throughout the Roman Empire, little attention has been devoted to the earliest monuments constructed in the city of Rome. The first half of this book investigates these arches (known as fornices) and the socio-political contexts that facilitated their development during the years of the Middle Republic. It examines the significant connections between the first arches and key Roman generals who celebrated military victories in Spain at the end of the Second Punic War. The uniquely ad hoc system of granting Roman honors for victories during this period highlights why the arch should be understood as an alternative victory monument for those not granted a triumph. Preserving and restoring these arches would become crucial in commemorating prominent gentes in Rome during the first century BCE. The second half of this book explores the adoption of the freestanding arch as a symbol of military victory by Rome’s first emperor, Augustus. It contends that Roman collective memories linking the fornix to the Middle Republic were essential to Augustan patronage. While the triumph was restricted in the late first century BCE, the arch became a substitute for celebrating victory in Augustan Rome. Lavish Augustan arches expanded upon the old fornices of the Republic, creating a new and innovative imperial form that incorporated triple-bays, relief sculptures, and elaborate attic statuary. From this point forward, with their lasting connections to Rome’s esteemed first emperor, these arches would be replicated throughout the Roman Empire.