Arch of Septimius Severus

The triumphal arch was built in 203 A.D. to commemorate the victories of emperor Septimius Severus in Parthia (now partly Iran and Iraq).

The arch is 23m high and 25m wide. It has three archways: the central one is 12m high and the others 7m 80cm. Originally a flight of stairs led to the central archway. It was only replaced by a road in the 4th century.

The relief panels at the top depict various stages of the war between the Romans and the Parthians. Other panels show Romans capturing barbarians.
Originally the arch was topped by a bronze quadriga with the emperor Severus and his two sons, Caracalla and Geta. Bronze inscriptions in the attic dedicated the arch to Septimius Severus and both of this sons, but soon after Septimius's death, Caracalla killed his brother Geta and had his name removed from the arch.

The arch of Septimius Severus is one of the best preserved monuments on the Forum Romanum thanks to its incorporation in an old church in the middle ages.
The church later moved to another location but it was still owner of the arch, thus protecting it from destruction. While parts of other arches like the Arch of Titus were used for the construction of Renaissance palaces, the Arch of Septimius Severus was left untouched.
During the middle ages and until the 18th century, when the excavation of the Forum Romanum started, a large part of the arch was covered in soil and debris.

The arch of Septimius Severus is located at the western end of the Forum, near the capitoline hill.