Arco di Constantino, Rome


	Arco di Constantino (Arch of Constantine) This massive triple arch, erected in AD 315 to commemorate the victory of Emperor Constantine of Maxentius, was the largest of many triumphal arches in ancient Rome. Far from being dwarfed by the Colosseum next to it, the arch is quite stately. It commemorates a victory, of course, but really symbolizes the transition from pagan Rome to the Christian world. Erected by the Senate to the first Christian emperor, it is a sculptural lecture (binoculars useful) to be like the great emperors who preceded him, for it is covered with old reliefs lifted from older monuments to Trajan and others. The sorry little friezes over the arches belong to Constantine, an artful expression of the struggling empire, soon to end. Address: Next to the Colosseum Rome Italy