The arch of Constantine is situated between the Colosseum and the Palatine Hill. It was erected to commemorate Constantine’s  victory over Maxentius (one of the tetrarch) at the Battle of Milvian Bridge in AD 312 and of cecennalia or tenth anniversary as emperor in AD 315. (It was the year when Maxentius celebrated five years of reign in Rome). Arch was dedicated in AD 315, it is the latest of the existing triumphal arches in Rome, from which it differs by spolia, the extensive re-use of parts of earlier buildings erected by Hadrian, Traian and Marcus Aurelius.

Historical relief frieze is running around the monument under the round panels, one strip above each lateral archway and at the small sides of the arch.  The frieze starts at the western side with the “Departure from Milan”.We can see on relief  caps of people that supplied army.Army is shown in front. They are going to conquer Italy from Verona.

Night before the battle with Maxentius, Constantine saw sign, actually, it was constellation of the stars that he recognized as a staurogram. Constantine ordered that staurogram must find place on on his army’s shields.  At the other side, Maxentius got prophesy that he is going to die, and that his enemy is Constantine himself. Maxentius got out of Rome, he destroyed the bridge and then made pontoon bridge which collapsed too, and Maxentius drowned. Some parts of this battle were depicted on the reliefs on the  arch (for example, there is soldiers who fell into water after the bridge collapsed). Constatine enters the city as a victor, and this is also shown on relief. Constantine is here shown guided by the Victory. His civilian duties is also shown on the relief that represent Constantine speaking to the citizens on the Forum Romanum, and distributing money to the people (liberalitas ). Liberalitas actually is showing how everything that wil be given to people is measured. Scholars believe that on that this relief depict some basilica, but they don’t know which is. We can imagine, based on this, how that basilica looked like, it can be aula suspense, basilica with drapery. That shown drapery indicates that scene put in interior.

It was mentioned that this Constantine arch have spolia, re-used parts from Hadrian, Traian and Antonius buildings. Sacrifices of roman deities were taken fron Hadrian’s building (hunt of a boar, sacrifice to Apollo, hunt of a lion, sacrifice to Hercules, departure for the hunt, sacrifice to Silvanus, hunt of a bear, sacrifice to Diana. The head of the emperor, originally Hadrian, has been reworked in all medallions: on the north side, into Constantine in the hunting scenes and into Licinius or Constantius I in the sacrifice scenes).

From Traian forum were taken scenes of battles. Reliefs were combined with inscriptionsFrom Marcus Aurelius unknown building were taken  reliefs that shows emperor addressing to his army, the emperor distributing money among the people, the emperor interrogating a German prisoner etc.