Historical news
It’s commonly known that, talking about arches, what we mean is not only the arch itself, but the whole building where the arch is only a part. It is called arch that structure dedicated to Septimius Severus and called of the “Argentari” as well, even though it has a lintel. But this is an exception.
In History, we know that at the beginning of II century B.C. stone triumphal arches called fornices were built; among the other the one of Lucius Stertinius (Livy,XXXIII, 27) and of Scipio Africanus (Livy,XXXVII,3).
Like happened in the past, when nobody doubted about the Etruscan origin of the arch, so until about forty years ago, it was out of discussion the full Roman paternity of this monument. This old opinion, which comes from the XVI century scholars as Fabricius and Rosinus, still has some followers today: Carestie, Guadet and Durm¸ even though in the meanwhile we have new discoveries about the origin of the triumphal arch.
Graef became supporting the idea of a derivation of the triumphal and honorific arch from the gates and tetrapyles of the ellenistic cities. He reminds the gate at the stoa Pecile in Athens, surmonted by a trophy (Pausania, I, 15). Then followed Puchstein: he saw a gate in the function of the arch and wrote about a double goals: to let people pass beneath the fornix and to be a support for the statues.
On the other hand, Patroni says, if the Romans were inspired by Greeks propylea (monumental gates and indoors) they hardly could conceive the arches as isolated buildings; if inspired by tetrapiles (squared plant buildings, with crossing path on the place where two roads crossed with a squared angle) the Romans probably would have built from the very beginning triumphal arches with such a shape, with a squared plant and four fornices. These were used later by Marcus Aurelius in Tripoli, Caracalla in Tebessa or with the famous Ianus Quadrifrons in the Forum Boarium, Rome.
Meaning of the monument
The Roman, believing that the winner was animated by a supernatural energy, thought this not as a temporary furor but as a grace caming from the Gods to some privileged individuals. The arch was then a means to witness the greatness of this “charisma”: putting the image of the winner on the front of the arch it was clearly showed as he was above the rest of the humanity.
It’s the religiuos meaning that distinguish the arches from the gates. During the Imperial age, the theology of the Victory didn’t stop and evolved. The emperor become the only one and neverending winner, the generals who command the army are just leutenants and their successes have basically the grace that the Gods have given to the emperor. This victory has a cosmic value which towers the human plan: the monuments don’t celebrate the victories for its real meaning but the victories as result of the universal energy from the supreme providence.
For a real honorific and commemorative purpose, the triumphal arch represents just the stone or marble evolution of the temporary wooden arches or oak and laurel branches which were originally set for the victorious consuls once back to Rome.
The distinction between the honorific or triumphal arch from the monumental gates is not about their structure, being isolated buildings, but about the dedication to famous people, having symbols and emblems carved on it. Mostly the dedication was about the emperor or members of the emperial family, but also arches dedicated to generals or magistrates or dead, even without public functions.
Sometime you can also find dedication to groups of people, such as colonies and municipia, and several times to deities.
Structural elements
main structure: a big squared block, architectural additions: consisting in columns and lintel, peculiar in the Roman architecture since the Sullan age (half columns or separated columns, simple or double). trabeation: where the statues lied. attic: which encircles the honorific iscription, the official one with titles and honors according to the severe rules of the cursus honorum.
Classification
Usually you find four different types of triumphal and honorific arch:
one fornix with narrow pillars
one fornix with wide pillars
three fornices and four pillars
other types of arches (two, four fornices; two or more floors; with irregular plant; with an open lintel; four-faced or tetrapilus)
(by Encyclopedia Treccani and by the website “Archi on the net” )
Specialized sites about arches
Engramma -Repertorio degli archi onorari e trionfali romani (I sec. a.C.–IV sec. d.C.)