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The Heidentor, also known as Heathens' Gate or Pagans' Gate, is the partially reconstructed ruin of a
Located nearly 900 metres south of the urban core of Carnuntum, a former Roman city with a population of around 50,000, counting legionary forces stationed around it. It was a four-sided structure, presumably of four arches, and estimated to have been erected during the reign of Emperor Official Carnuntum site
. The locals in subsequent centuries referred to the structure as a gate for the Roman city.
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, and usually standing alone, unconnected to other buildings. In its simplest form, a triumphal ...
of the Roman Empire
The Roman Empire ruled the Mediterranean and much of Europe, Western Asia and North Africa. The Roman people, Romans conquered most of this during the Roman Republic, Republic, and it was ruled by emperors following Octavian's assumption of ...
, located in what was the fort-city of Carnuntum
Carnuntum ( according to Ptolemy) was a Roman legionary fortress () and headquarters of the Roman navy, Pannonian fleet from 50 AD. After the 1st century, it was capital of the Pannonia Superior province. It also became a large city of app ...
, in present-day Austria
Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...
. Originally tetrapylon
A tetrapylon (plural tetrapyla; ; , also used in English) is a rectangular form of monument with arched passages in two directions, at right angles, generally built on a Crossroads (culture), crossroads. They appear in ancient Roman architecture ...
in form, only one of its four arches remains.
History
Located nearly 900 metres south of the urban core of Carnuntum, a former Roman city with a population of around 50,000, counting legionary forces stationed around it. It was a four-sided structure, presumably of four arches, and estimated to have been erected during the reign of Emperor Constantius II
Constantius II (; ; 7 August 317 – 3 November 361) was Roman emperor from 337 to 361. His reign saw constant warfare on the borders against the Sasanian Empire and Germanic peoples, while internally the Roman Empire went through repeated civ ...
(351–361 AD). These tetrapylons were often built to celebrate some victory by the local army. Each facade of the structure was likely 14.5 metres wide. A plinth in the centre probably held a statue of either a god or emperor.. The locals in subsequent centuries referred to the structure as a gate for the Roman city.
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 Roman Empire, Imperial period (1st century BC onwards ...
Notes
{{Authority control Roman sites in Austria Ancient Roman triumphal arches Buildings and structures completed in the 4th century Archaeological sites in Austria