One of the many triumphal arches in Rome, The Arch of Constantine was created to commemorate Constantine’s victory over Maxentius at the Battle of Milvian Bridge, in 312 AD. During Constantine's reign, the persecution of Christians ended; he also moved the capital of the empire from Rome to Constantinople in 325 AD (before known as Byzantium, now Istanbul). Located near the Colosseum the arch faces the Palatine Hill. It is located on a route taken by the triumphal processions, and served as a reminder of the glory of Rome to any who went beneath its arches. The arch was constructed in the ancient Roman Corinthian style and has a sculpted band over one of its arches; this bears a representation of the battle it was erected to commemorate. Many of the sculptures and etchings on the building are considered to be somewhat crude, but most consider the design of the arch itself to be of good quality.













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Examples of the quality of the sculpture on the arch can be seen in the sculptured Victories in the spandrels of the central arch, the river-gods over the side arches, the medallions of the rising and setting sun at the ends, the Victories on the pedestals of the giallo columns, and the bands over the side arches. The east end roundel has a chariot of Helios ascending with a relief below of the triumphal entry of Constantine into Rome. The west end roundel has a chariot of Luna descending and a relief of Constantine's departure from Milan.














































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