The Arch of Dolabella and Silanus (

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

, ''Arcus Dolabellae et Silani'') or Arch of Dolabella is an ancient Roman arch. It was built by senatorial decree in 10 AD by the

consuls A consul is an official representative of the government of one state in the territory of another, normally acting to assist and protect the citizens of the consul's own country, as well as to facilitate trade and friendship between the people ...

P. Cornelius Dolabella and C. Junius Silanus.

Arch

The arch is located on the

Caelian Hill The Caelian Hill (; la, Collis Caelius; it, Celio ) is one of the famous seven hills of Rome. Geography The Caelian Hill is a sort of long promontory about long, to wide, and tall in the park near the Temple of Claudius. The hill ov ...

, at the north corner of the site of the Castra Peregrina. It spans the modern Via di S. Paolo della Croce, along the line of the ancient

Clivus Scauri The Clivus Scauri was an ancient Roman road that originally branched off from the road that connected the Circus Maximus to the Colosseum along the depression between the Palatine and Caelian hills of Rome. It followed the east side of the latte ...

. Its location indicates that it was a rebuilding of one of the gates of the

Servian Walls The Servian Wall ( la, Murus Servii Tullii; it, Mura Serviane) was an ancient Roman defensive barrier constructed around the city of Rome in the early 4th century BC. The wall was built of volcanic tuff and was up to in height in places, wide ...

, though which one is unclear: possibly the

Porta Querquetulana The Porta Querquetulana or Querquetularia was a gateway in the Servian Wall, named after the sacred grove of the Querquetulanae adjacent to and just within it. The grove appears not to have still existed in the latter 1st century BC. The location ...

(or Querquetularia) or the

Porta Caelimontana The Porta Caelimontana or Celimontana was a gate in the Servian Wall on the rise of the Caelian Hill (''Caelius Mons''). Use The Via Caelimontana ran from it; in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Roman tombs were discovered along its sout ...

. Although the latter is considered the more likely original, there is no indication that any important road went out of the city through the Caelimontana.

History

The extension of the

Aqua Claudia Aqua Claudia ("the Claudian water") was an ancient Roman aqueduct that, like the Aqua Anio Novus, was begun by Emperor Caligula (37–41 AD) in 38 AD and finished by Emperor Claudius (41–54 AD) in 52 AD. Together with Aqua Anio Novus, Aqua ...

undertaken during the reign of

Nero Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( ; born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus; 15 December AD 37 – 9 June AD 68), was the fifth Roman emperor and final emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, reigning from AD 54 unti ...

made use of the Arch of Dolabella for the last section. Its original purpose was probably to support a branch of the Aqua Marcia. Porte Caelimontane externe

The

travertine Travertine ( ) is a form of terrestrial limestone deposited around mineral springs, especially hot springs. It often has a fibrous or concentric appearance and exists in white, tan, cream-colored, and even rusty varieties. It is formed by a p ...

arch was not decorated with sculptural relief.Richardson, ''New Topographical Dictionary'', p. 25.

References

External links

* Bill Thayer'
photo
at

LacusCurtius LacusCurtius is a website specializing in ancient Rome, currently hosted on a server at the University of Chicago. It went online on August 26, 1997; in July 2021 it had "3707 webpages, 765 photos, 772 drawings & engravings, 120 plans, 139 maps." T ...

* {{Monuments of Rome AD 10 0s in the Roman Empire Buildings and structures completed in the 1st century Ancient Roman buildings and structures in Rome Gates in the Servian Wall 10s establishments in the Roman Empire 10s establishments Rome R. XIX Celio

Arch

History

See also

References

External links