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The Arch of Hadrian (also called the "Arches of Capua" or the "Lucky Arch") is an
ancient Roman In modern historiography, ancient Rome refers to Roman people, Roman civilisation from the founding of the city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. It encompasses the Roman Kingdom ...
triumphal arch located in
Santa Maria Capua Vetere Santa Maria Capua Vetere ( nap, Santa Maria 'e Capua) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Caserta, part of the region of Campania (southern Italy). Though it is not connected with the ''Civitas Capuana'', the town is a medieval place and i ...
(ancient Capua, now in the
Province of Caserta The Province of Caserta ( it, Provincia di Caserta) is a province in the Campania region of southern Italy. Its capital is the city of Caserta, situated about by road north of Naples. The province has an area of , and had a total population of 9 ...
, southern Italy). It was originally a triple arch, but today only three pylons and one of the lateral arches survive. It spanned the
Appian Way The Appian Way (Latin and Italian: ''Via Appia'') is one of the earliest and strategically most important Roman roads of the ancient republic. It connected Rome to Brindisi, in southeast Italy. Its importance is indicated by its common name, re ...
and constituted an ideal entrance to the city, perhaps corresponding to the line of the
pomerium The ''pomerium'' or ''pomoerium'' was a religious boundary around the city of Rome and cities controlled by Rome. In legal terms, Rome existed only within its ''pomerium''; everything beyond it was simply territory (''ager'') belonging to Rome. ...
.


History

The arch was erected between the latter half of the 1st century and the former half of the 2nd century, but we are ignorant of its dedication. An inscription was reported, with a dedication to the Emperor
Hadrian Hadrian (; la, Caesar Trâiānus Hadriānus ; 24 January 76 – 10 July 138) was Roman emperor from 117 to 138. He was born in Italica (close to modern Santiponce in Spain), a Roman '' municipium'' founded by Italic settlers in Hispania ...
, later determined to be false. A dedication to
Septimius Severus Lucius Septimius Severus (; 11 April 145 – 4 February 211) was Roman emperor from 193 to 211. He was born in Leptis Magna (present-day Al-Khums, Libya) in the Roman province of Africa. As a young man he advanced through the customary suc ...
was also dubiously reported (), but this probably belonged to the podium of a statue. It was hypothesised that the arch's erection occurred under the
Flavian dynasty The Flavian dynasty ruled the Roman Empire between AD 69 and 96, encompassing the reigns of Vespasian (69–79), and his two sons Titus (79–81) and Domitian (81–96). The Flavians rose to power during the civil war of 69, known a ...
after the gift of the status of colonia to the city (along with the name Colonia Flavia Augusta). There was a restoration, with additions and reconstructions of the lateral structure in 1851. In 1860, it was involved in combat in the Battle of Volturnus: a commemorative plaque, with text written by Luigi Settembrini is located on one of the arch's pylons. Later, after 1893, the damage sustained during the battle was restored. Further restorations took place in both 1945 and 1953-1955 as a result of damage suffered in the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
.


Description

The arch is located between the Corso Moro and Via del Lavoro and is also known as the Arco di Adriano or Archi di Capua. The arch is constructed in
brick A brick is a type of block used to build walls, pavements and other elements in masonry construction. Properly, the term ''brick'' denotes a block composed of dried clay, but is now also used informally to denote other chemically cured cons ...
(''
opus latericium 250px, Example of ''opus latericium'' on a tomb of the ancient Appian Way in Rome.">Rome.html" ;"title="Appian Way in Rome">Appian Way in Rome. ''Opus latericium'' (Latin for "brick work") is an Ancient Rome, ancient Roman construction technique ...
'') and originally had an outer coating of white
limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms when ...
, now lost. The pylons of the central vault remain and one of the lateral arches. The remains extend to a height of 10 metres and a width of 18.5 metres. There are modern extensions and restorations. The arches of the central vault and of the lateral vaults were of a moderate height (6.2 metres), but that of the central arch was wider (an opening of 4.85 metres versus an opening of 3.95 metres for the lateral arches) and it originally reached to a greater height. The pylons are coated at the base with blocks of white limestone and are lightened by
niche Niche may refer to: Science * Developmental niche, a concept for understanding the cultural context of child development *Ecological niche, a term describing the relational position of an organism's species * Niche differentiation, in ecology, th ...
s with arched tops. The holes in the lateral structure now allow the possibility of the presence of columns which framed the niches and must have supported an
entablature An entablature (; nativization of Italian , from "in" and "table") is the superstructure of moldings and bands which lies horizontally above columns, resting on their capitals. Entablatures are major elements of classical architecture, and ...
which would have been above the vaults. It is believed the niches once held statues. On the inside of the pylons of the central passage are some niches, but these are modern recreations.


See also

*
List of Roman triumphal arches This is a list of Roman triumphal arches. Triumphal arches were constructed across the Roman Empire and are an archetypal example of Roman architecture. Most surviving Roman arches date from the Imperial period (1st century BC onwards). They were ...
*
Arch of Hadrian (Athens) The Arch of Hadrian ( el, Αψίδα του Αδριανού , translit=Apsida tou Adrianou), most commonly known in Greek as Hadrian's Gate ( el, Πύλη του Αδριανού , translit=Pyli tou Adrianou), is a monumental gateway resembling� ...


References


Sources

*Lorenzo Quilici, Stefania Quilici Gigli, "Sull'arco di Capua", in Lorenzo Quilici & Stefania Quilici Gigli (ed.s), ''Urbanizzazione delle campagne nell'Italia antica'', Roma 2001, p. 205-231. {{Archaeological sites in Campania Ancient Roman triumphal arches in Italy Capua (ancient city) Santa Maria Capua Vetere