CONSTANTINE EMPEROR OF THE DAY: Reign: 305 - 337AD Achievements: Reunified the Roman empire Styled himself after the “five good emperors” of the 100s Changed the course of history by adopting Christianity as the religion of the Rome

THE ARCH OF CONSTANTINE

THE ARCH OF CONSTANTINE c.315AD Made of Marble Rome, West of the Colosseum Height: 21m Built to commemorate Constantine’s victory at the battle of Milvian Bridge over his rival Maxentius

Main Features of the Arch Inscription: SPQR to Constantine – who saved Rome from ‘tyrant’ Maxentius The Colosseum is next door Corinthian Columns surround arch Main arch and two secondary arches

The Inscription Photo: http://sights.seindal.dk/ “To the emperor Caesar Flavius Constantine Maximus, Pius Felix Augustus, since through divine inspiration and great wisdom he has delivered the state from the tyrant and all his factions, by his army and noble arms, the Senate and the Roman People, dedicate this arch decorated with triumphal insignia.”

Constantine’s ‘Recycled’ Sculpture                                                                                         Why? Lack of skilled artisans in Rome at the time Lack of time to complete the required reliefs Constantine’s desire to be identified with ‘good emperors’ To make the best arch ever!

The ‘Good Emperors’ MARCUS AURELIUS r.161-180 Scenes from Marcus Aurelius’ campaigns against Germanic tribes (eg making a speech to his men and speaking to captives). The man standing on the right is a Dacian prisoner from Trajan’s Forum.

The ‘Good Emperors’ TRAJAN r.98-117 This is part of a frieze from Trajan’s campaigns against the Dacians, showing the emperor in battle on horseback. The Trajanic works all came from Trajan’s Forum. Photo: http://sights.seindal.dk/

The ‘Good Emperors’ HADRIAN r.117-138 This roundel shows Hadrian on a boar hunt. The head of the Emperor has been remodelled to look like Constantine.

The ‘Good Emperors’ HADRIAN r.117-138 The Emperor also hunts a lion. On the alternate roundels, the Emperor Hadrian / Constantine makes a sacrifice to a god (Silvanus, Diana or Apollo).

The Constantianian Reliefs Winged Victories in the spandrels of the arch represent the triumph of Constantine / the strength of Rome

The Constantianian Reliefs The roundels on outsides of the arch have representations of the Sun (Sol) and Moon (Luna) gods.

The Constantinian Frieze Content of frieze: Scenes from Constantine’s campaign against Maxentius (for more details, see Campbell, pages 35-39)

The Constantinian Frieze CONSTANTINE r. 305-337 Constantine’s troops march into battle, laying siege to Verona. Shows the organisation and discipline of Constantine’s army.

The Constantinian Frieze CONSTANTINE r. 305-337 Constantine’s troops slaughter Maxientius’s troops. Shows strength and superiority of Constantine’s army.

The Constantinian Frieze CONSTANTINE r. 305-337 The donatio relief shows Constantine giving out money to Romans – he is a generous Emperor. Note the people turned towards him.

The Constantinian Frieze CONSTANTINE r. 305-337 The oratio relief shows Constantine making a speech to Romans – he is an engaging speaker/orator. Note that he is on a higher level.

MARCUS AURELIUS HADRIAN TRAJAN CONSTANTINE MARCUS AURELIUS HADRIAN TRAJAN Match the reliefs with the correct emperor by drawing lines between the names and the reliefs

1 2 3 4 See if you can complete the diagram by writing the number for each Emperor on the correct reliefs.

A Clash of Styles

A Clash of Styles

Oratio – Style / Composition

Making Comparisons – Constantine vs. Titus

A brilliant website: http://sights.seindal.dk/sight/299_Arch_of_Constantine.html