Arch of Carpentras

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Roman arch of Carpentras Carpentras - Arc Romain.JPG
Roman arch of Carpentras

The Arch of Carpentras is a Roman triumphal arch from the beginning of the first century AD, located at Carpentras in the French department of Vaucluse.

Contents

It has a single fornix, framed by fluted lesenes and decorated with an archivolt of vine tendrils. At the outer corners there are engaged columns. On the sides there are images of trophies flanked by barbarian prisoners. These trophy reliefs are also found on the short sides of the Arch of Orange, which is however more richly decorated.

The arch was originally located on the city's cardo maximus . Later it was incorporated into the old cathedral as an access door and still later into the episcopal palace (now the courthouse).

The arch was included in the first list of French historic monuments in 1840.

Interpretation

Various theories have been proposed for the motivation for its construction. The theories are essentially based on the interpretation of the barbarian prisoners on the two reliefs (on the west side a German and an eastern barbarian with a Phrygian beard, another eastern barbarian and a person with a diadem which might indicate a Hellenistic king on the east side).

See also

Notes

  1. Gilbert Picard, "L'arc de Carpentras", Comptes rendus des séances de l'Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres, 104, 1960, pp. 13–15.
  2. Pierre Gros, "Pour une chronologie des arcs de triomphe de Gaule Narbonnaise (à propos de l'arc de Glanum)", Gallia, 37, 1979, pp. 55–83, at pp. 76–82.
  3. R. Turcan, "L'arc de Carpentras: problèmes de datation et d'histoire", in Hommages à L. Lerat, Besançon 1984, pp. 809–819.

44°03′16″N5°02′51″E / 44.0544°N 5.0475°E / 44.0544; 5.0475