The Etruscan Arch or Arch of Augustus or Augustus Gate is one of eight gates in the

Etruscan __NOTOC__ Etruscan may refer to: Ancient civilization *Etruscan civilization (1st millennium BC) and related things: **Etruscan language ** Etruscan architecture **Etruscan art **Etruscan cities **Etruscan coins **Etruscan history **Etruscan myt ...

wall of

Perusia The ancient Perusia, now Perugia, first appears in history as one of the 12 confederate cities of Etruria. It is first mentioned in the account of the war of 310 or 309 BC between the Etruscans and the Romans. It took, however, an important pa ...

, known today as

Perugia Perugia ( , ; ; ) is the capital city of Umbria in central Italy, crossed by the River Tiber. The city is located about north of Rome and southeast of Florence. It covers a high hilltop and part of the valleys around the area. It has 162,467 ...

. It is one of the only two surviving gates along with the Porta Marzia to the south.Castex, pp. 1–2 It was constructed in the second half of the 3rd century BC and was restored by

Augustus Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian (), was the founder of the Roman Empire, who reigned as the first Roman emperor from 27 BC until his death in A ...

in 40 BC after his victory in the

Perusine War The Perusine War (also Perusian or Perusinian War, or the War of Perusia) was a civil war of the Roman Republic, which lasted from 41 to 40 BC. It was fought by Lucius Antonius (the younger brother of Mark Antony) and the Umbrians of Perusia ...

. Representing the best surviving and most monumental of the Etruscan city gates it opens onto the ''cardo maximus'' of the city, corresponding to the modern Ulisse Rocchi Road. The arch is part of a massive set of walls which are tall and long made of travertine and set without mortar. It covers approximately a quarter of a square mile over three hills. The arch consists of an attractive facade with a single archway and two trapezoidal towers. The archway forms a semicircular ''barrell vault'' passageway over 30 feet high. Two rows of ''voussoirs'' form the shape of the arch and are held in place by a keystone at the top. Above the arch (in two concentric rows) there is an ornate Doric-inspired frieze of

metope A metope (; ) is a rectangular architectural element of the Doric order, filling the space between triglyphs in a frieze , a decorative band above an architrave. In earlier wooden buildings the spaces between triglyphs were first open, and ...

s with round shields and

triglyph Triglyph is an architectural term for the vertically channeled tablets of the Doric frieze in classical architecture, so called because of the angular channels in them. The rectangular recessed spaces between the triglyphs on a Doric frieze are ...

s in six vertical bands. Above this is another smaller voussoir arch between two pilasters making the height of the Etruscan Arch more than 60 feet. On the internal face it is possible to read the inscription ''Augusta Perusia,'' which was the name of the city after the reconstruction of 40 BC; on the external face the inscription ''Colonia Vibia'' is inscribed, testimony to the ''ius coloniae'' received from Emperor

Trebonianus Gallus Gaius Vibius Trebonianus Gallus ( 206 – August 253) was Roman emperor from June 251 to August 253, in a joint rule with his son Volusianus. Early life Gallus was born in Italy, in a respected senatorial family with Etruscan ancestry, cer ...

(251–253). The

loggia In architecture, a loggia ( , usually , ) is a covered exterior Long gallery, gallery or corridor, often on an upper level, sometimes on the ground level of a building. The corridor is open to the elements because its outer wall is only parti ...

on the left tower is an addition from the 16th century, while the fountain at the bottom of the same tower was completed in 1621. In front of the arch is Palazzo Gallenga Stuart, the seat of the University for Foreigners Perugia.

Bibliography

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References

{{coord, 43, 6, 52, N, 12, 23, 23, E, type:landmark_region:IT_dim:150, display=title Buildings and structures completed in the 3rd century BC Buildings and structures in Perugia Etruscan sites Etruscan architecture