Licinius, the emperor of the East, appears in the rondels with sacrificial scenes. In the panels from the reign of Marcus Aurelius, the head is Trajan’s and was inserted during the eighteenth-century restoration.

Arch of Constantine: The Political Use of Images of the Past

Constantine the Great wanted to be acknowledged and celebrated as the legitimate victor over his tyrannical rival, Maxentius, and the new arbiter of Rome’s future, and to this end chose a traditional monument that was deeply rooted in imperial history: the triumphal arch.

The inscription on the front of the arch represents Constantine as the restorer of the Empire, guided by divinity. The wars and triumphs of great emperors of the past cast an aura of legitimacy round his power and provided the political consensus needed formaintaining a stable government.

The great storied frieze running along the middle of the smaller sides of the arch and above the side-openings represents the Emperor’s feats: his departure from Milan; the siege of Verona, where he is crowned by a winged Victory; the defeat of Maxentius at the Milvian bridge; his entry into Rome; his speech to the population and a distribution of money.

In the last two scenes Constantine appears in the middle of the composition, disproportionately larger than the other figures, ranged symmetrically on either side and facing him, clearly indicating them subordination.

Emperor Constantine designed it to narrate his victories and crown his role in power, but decided to decorate it with older images taken from the memory of other buildings. Diocletian had done the same thing