It later served as a Christian church from AD 609 to AD 1885. It then became a burial place for famous Italian heroes (Cornell and Matthews 92).The Romans built arches called triumphal arches to celebrate victories and other events. Perhaps the most famous was the Arch of Constantine at Rome. It was guilt to mark a victory over Maxentius, the "usurper" in AD 312. It was constructed of 2nd Century pieces of sculpture but new were added also. The sculptures on the arch gave a narrative of the campaign against Maxentius (Cornell and Matthews 189). One detail from the arch is Constantine demonstrating his liberality. Another famous arch was on erected by Athenians of Greece in AD 130. Hadrian had it built for he saw himself as the new founder of the city. On one side of the arch was the inscription, "This is Athens, the ancient city of Theseus." On the other side is the inscription "This is the city of Hadrian and not of Theseus." This arch stands on a road by the temple of the Olympian Zeus. Another triumphal arch is the Arch of Galerius which celebrated his victory over the Persians (Cornell and Matthews). On this arch are typical scenes of military and religious life. Another great arch is the arch at Timgad which once marked the entrance to the original colonial foundation on the road leading to Lambaeis. The ancient Forum of Rome is home to the arch made in 203 to honor Septimius Severus and his sons Caracalla and Geta. It also shows scenes from Severus' campaign against the Parthians and Arabs. Another triumphal arch is the Arch of Saints which bears upon its frieze the commemorative inscription of C. Julius Rufus. He was priest of Rome and Augustus at an altar at Lugdunum. He contributed to the building of an amphitheater there (Cornell and Matthews 90).The Romans built majestic temples to honor their gods and past leaders. The earliest surviving example of a temple in Rome is the circular shaped one at the Foru...
