The Arch of Fabius () was an

ancient Roman In modern historiography, ancient Rome is the Roman people, Roman civilisation from the founding of Rome, founding of the Italian city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the Fall of the Western Roman Empire, collapse of the Western Roman Em ...

arch An arch is a curved vertical structure spanning an open space underneath it. Arches may support the load above them, or they may perform a purely decorative role. As a decorative element, the arch dates back to the 4th millennium BC, but stru ...

located at the eastern end of the

Roman Forum A forum (Latin: ''forum'', "public place outdoors", : ''fora''; English : either ''fora'' or ''forums'') was a public square in a municipium, or any civitas, of Ancient Rome reserved primarily for the vending of goods; i.e., a marketplace, alon ...

. Built in 121 BCE by

Quintus Fabius Maximus Allobrogicus Quintus Fabius Maximus Allobrogicus, was a Roman statesman and general who was elected consul in 121 BC. During his consulship he fought against the Arverni and the Allobroges whom he defeated in 120 BC. He was awarded a triumph and the agnomen Al ...

to celebrate his victory over the

Allobroges The Allobroges (Gaulish language, Gaulish: *''Allobrogis'', 'foreigner, exiled'; ) were a Gauls, Gallic people dwelling in a large territory between the Rhône river and the Alps during the Iron Age Europe, Iron Age and the Roman period. The Allob ...

, it was the first triumphal arch built within or adjacent to the forum. Considered by the Romans as one of the boundaries of the Roman Forum, it traversed the ''

Via Sacra The Via Sacra (, "''Sacred Street''") was the main street of ancient Rome, leading from the top of the Capitoline Hill, through some of the most important religious sites of the Forum (where it is the widest street), to the Colosseum. The road ...

'' and was located between the

House of the Vestals The House of the Vestal Virgins (; ) was the residence of Vestal Virgins, located behind the circular Temple of Vesta at the eastern edge of the Roman Forum, between the Regia and the Palatine Hill. The ''domus publica'', where the Pontifex Maxim ...

and the ''

Regia The Regia ("Royal house") was a two-part structure in Ancient Rome lying along the Via Sacra at the edge of the Roman Forum that originally served as the residence or one of the main headquarters of kings of Rome and later as the office of the ...

'', most probably at the western end of the Regia.Höcker, Christoph (Kissing). (2006) "Fornix" ''Brills New Pauly.'' Retrieved from https://referenceworks-brillonline-com.wikipedialibrary.idm.oclc.org/entries/brill-s-new-pauly/fornix-e413930?s.num=0&s.f.s2_parent=s.f.book.brill-s-new-pauly&s.q=fornix. The arch was probably built of

tufa Tufa is a variety of limestone formed when carbonate minerals precipitation (chemistry), precipitate out of water in ambient temperature, unheated rivers or lakes. hot spring, Geothermally heated hot springs sometimes produce similar (but less ...

and faced with

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 rusty varieties. It is formed by a process ...

, and adorned with statues of Quintus Fabius and his family. The arch was restored by Fabius's grandson in 57 BCE. Its fate after that is uncertain. Due to its location, as that part of the forum was repeatedly pillaged for building materials throughout the centuries, nothing of the arch remains. Although inscriptions from the Arch of Fabius were uncovered in 1540 and 1543, these have also been lost.

References

{{reflist Ancient Roman triumphal arches in Rome