 Plinth withVictoria, Dioskuri and barbarian prisoners, now inBoboli Gardens, | |
   Arcus Novus Shown within Augustan Rome | |
 Click on the map for a fullscreen view | |
| Location | Via lata |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 41°53′53″N12°28′54″E / 41.89806°N 12.48167°E /41.89806; 12.48167 |
| Type | Triumphal arch |
| History | |
| Builder | Diocletian |
| Founded | AD 293 |
TheArcus Novus was an ancient arch in Rome, located on the Via Lata (now theVia del Corso), at the site of the church ofSanta Maria in Via Lata.
The arch was dedicated toDiocletian either for the occasion of hisdecennalia in 293 AD, or histriumph celebrated withMaximian in 303–304. The name Arcus novus (new arch) probably refers to the earlierArch of Claudius on the same street.[1]
The Arcus Novus was decorated with reliefs reused (spolia) from a large altar of the Julio-Claudian period, most probably theAra pietatis, while the columnplinths were decorated with images ofVictoria, barbarian prisoners and theDioskouri, probably from the facade of the nearbyTemple of the Sun ofAurelian. The arch was destroyed in 1491 by order of PopeInnocent VIII during reconstruction ofSanta Maria in Via Lata.[1]
Fragments of the reliefs were discovered in 1523 and added to theDella Valle collection before being acquired byCardinal Ferdinand de' Medici in 1584, from where the plinths found their way to theBoboli Gardens in Florence. Other fragments from theAntonine period, reused byDiocletian, were included in the rear facade of the cardinal'sVilla Medici in Rome. More recently excavations carried out in 1923–1933 discovered further fragments now in theCentrale Montemartini.[1]
Media related toArcus Novus at Wikimedia Commons
| Preceded by Arch of Titus | Landmarks of Rome Arch of Novus | Succeeded by Aqua Alexandrina |
