The Arch of Trajan is a
Roman
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
triumphal arch
A triumphal arch is a free-standing monumental structure in the shape of an archway with one or more arched passageways, often designed to span a road. In its simplest form a triumphal arch consists of two massive piers connected by an arch, cro ...
located in the city of
Timgad
Timgad ( ar, تيمقاد, links=, lit=, translit=Tīmgād, known as Marciana Traiana Thamugadi) was a Roman city in the Aurès Mountains of Algeria. It was founded by the Roman Emperor Trajan around 100 AD. The full name of the city was ''Colon ...
(ancient Thamugadi), near
Batna, Algeria. It was built between the later 2nd century and the early 3rd century.
The three
vaulted
In architecture, a vault (French ''voûte'', from Italian ''volta'') is a self-supporting arched form, usually of stone or brick, serving to cover a space with a ceiling or roof. As in building an arch, a temporary support is needed while ring ...
arch composed the western gate of the city, at the beginning of the
Decumanus Maximus
In Roman urban planning, a decumanus was an east–west-oriented road in a Roman city or castrum (military camp). The main decumanus of a particular city was the Decumanus Maximus, or most often simply "the Decumanus". In the rectangular street g ...
and the end of the road coming from
Lambaesis
Lambaesis (Lambæsis), Lambaisis or Lambaesa (''Lambèse'' in colonial French), is a Roman archaeological site in Algeria, southeast of Batna and west of Timgad, located next to the modern village of Tazoult. The former bishopric is also a Lat ...
.
History
The inscription on the
attic records the foundation of the colony on the part of
Trajan
Trajan ( ; la, Caesar Nerva Traianus; 18 September 539/11 August 117) was Roman emperor from 98 to 117. Officially declared ''optimus princeps'' ("best ruler") by the senate, Trajan is remembered as a successful soldier-emperor who presi ...
in the year 100. The decorative fabric of the monument, with the sides of the lateral arches detached from the wall, was taken with a curvilinear pediment that forms two protruding and strongly contrasted lateral
aedicula
In ancient Roman religion, an ''aedicula'' (plural ''aediculae'') is a small shrine, and in classical architecture refers to a niche covered by a pediment or entablature supported by a pair of columns and typically framing a statue,"aedicula, ...
e. This and the lavish decoration of the architectural elements, all suggest a later dating.
The arch together with the whole archaeological site of Timgad, has been listed as a
World Heritage Site
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...
by
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
since 1982.
Description
The arch reaches a height of 12 metres, with a central arch of 6 metres in height which permitted the passage of vehicles that have left deep ruts in the ground under the archway. The lateral arches, each 3.75 metres high, were reserved for pedestrians.
Above the lateral arches on both sides are deep rectangular
niches, which are flanked by aediculae with smooth-stemmed
Corinthian Corinthian or Corinthians may refer to:
*Several Pauline epistles, books of the New Testament of the Bible:
**First Epistle to the Corinthians
**Second Epistle to the Corinthians
**Third Epistle to the Corinthians (Orthodox)
*A demonym relating to ...
columns of coloured marble on shelves. The niches were designed to hold statues, which are now lost. The whole assemblage of each lateral arch and niche was framed by two red Corinthian columns, detached from the walls and supported by pedestals. The
entablature that runs across the wall above the lateral arches protrudes above the columns, and a curvilinear
pediment
Pediments are gables, usually of a triangular shape.
Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the lintel, or entablature, if supported by columns. Pediments can contain an overdoor and are usually topped by hood moulds.
A pedim ...
rests on it in turn. The attic must have been surmounted with a group of
monumental statues.
Other sculpture was added to the arch in later times. This includes a statue of the
gods
A deity or god is a supernatural being who is considered divine or sacred. The ''Oxford Dictionary of English'' defines deity as a god or goddess, or anything revered as divine. C. Scott Littleton defines a deity as "a being with powers greater ...
Mars
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second-smallest planet in the Solar System, only being larger than Mercury. In the English language, Mars is named for the Roman god of war. Mars is a terrestrial planet with a thin at ...
and one of
Concordia erected under Emperor
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 ...
by Lucius Licinius Optatianus, on the occasion of his election as
flamen
A (plural ''flamens'' or ''flamines'') was a priest of the ancient Roman religion who was assigned to one of eighteen deities with official cults during the Roman Republic. The most important of these were the three (or "major priests"), who ser ...
-for-life of the colonia.
[The erection of the statues is recorded in an inscription: .]
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 ...
Notes
Bibliography
*John Bryan Ward Perkins, ''Etruscan and Roman Architecture'', London 1970, pp. 482– 484
*Pietro Romanelli, "L'arco di Traiano a Timgad: una ipotesi", in ''Mélanges d'histoire ancienne et d'archéologie offerts à Paul Collart'', Losanna 1976, pp. 317–321.
*Elizabeth Fentress, "Thamugadi" in ''Enciclopedia dell'arte antica'', II supplemento, 1997
onlineon the website Treccani.it
{{coord, 35, 29, 6.2, N, 6, 28, 1, E, type:landmark_region:DZ_dim:17, display=title
Ancient Roman buildings and structures in Algeria
Ancient Roman triumphal arches
Trajan
Buildings and structures in Batna Province