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TheArch of Marcus Aurelius (Arabic:قوس ماركوس أوريليوس,romanized: Qaus Mārkūs Aurīliyūs) is aRomantriumphal arch in the city ofOea, modernTripoli, Libya,[1] where it is found near the northeastern entrance to theMedina.
It is aquadrifrons triumphal arch, surmounted by an unusual octagonalcupola, and was erected (entirely in marble) by Gaius Calpurnius Celsus, quinquennialduumvir of the city, to commemorate the victories ofLucius Verus, junior colleague and adoptive brother of the EmperorMarcus Aurelius,[2] over theParthians in theRoman–Parthian War of 161–66.
The monument was actually erected in 165, and cannot be dated later, because the Emperor is referred to with the titleArmenicus, but not with the titles ofMedicus andParthicus, which were conferred on him in 166.
The patron deities of the city,Apollo andMinerva appear on the two front pediments, inbigae drawn by griffons and sphinxes. Other interpretations take the figures in the bigae as representing Lucius Verus and the goddessRoma, respectively.
The four niches placed on the northeast and southwest faces of the arch are now empty, but they must have contained the statues of the Emperor and Lucius Verus, which were recovered during excavations in the nineteenth century.
The arch has been partially buried in the course of the centuries.
Immediately after theItalian conquest, it received conservation and restoration work from the Italian administration (1914–1918), while the zone around the arch was reorganized by the Italian architectFlorestano Di Fausto in the 1930s. It was partially hit duringWW2, but suffered only minor damage.
As of 2017, the Arch is suffering from poor maintenance and damage from visitors. Its original features and details have suffered considerable damage due to acid rain.
Media related toMarcus Aurelius Arch in Tripoli at Wikimedia Commons32°53′59.6″N13°10′32.7″E / 32.899889°N 13.175750°E /32.899889; 13.175750