Rimini's Arch of Augustus: The Oldest Preserved Triumphal Arch in Northern Italy

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The Arco di Augusto, or Arch of August, marked the eastern entrance to the Roman city of Ariminum for those arriving along the Via Flaminia, the road built by Flaminius in 220 BC to connect Rome on the west side of Italy to the coastal city that became Rimini on the east side of the country.

The arch now stands as the oldest preserved triumphal arch in northern Italy. It was originally erected in 27 BC as a city gate and took on the role of an honorary arch, as seen in its inscription celebrating Octavian Augustus for his restoration of the Via Flaminia.

The monument was inserted into an older section of the city walls, the small remains of which are visible to either side. Today, the travertine arch stands alone following the demolition of the adjacent structures in the 1930s.

The original structure had two polygonal towers, little of which remains, and it was also surmounted by an attic once topped with a statue of the emperor either on horseback or in a quadriga. The summit, which is thought to have collapsed in earthquakes, was then crowned with battlements in the Middle Ages.

The architecture holds political and propagandistic significance: an opening in the city walls so large that it could not be closed by doors indicates the level of peace achieved after a long period of civil war. The arch is therefore a symbol of the Augustan Peace and the security desired by Augustus.

The deities depicted (Jupiter and Apollo on the outer side, Neptune and Rome facing the city) symbolise the grandeur of Rome and the power of Augustus.