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The Arch of Constantine: Inspired by the Divine Paperback – December 15, 2013

by Iain Ferris (Author)

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Right next to the Colosseum in Rome stands the Arch of Constantine. Completed AD 312 - 315, it was built to celebrate ten years of the Emperor Constantine's reign and his victory at the Battle of the Milvian Bridge. The arch is undoubtedly the most impressive civic monument surviving from this period. At 69 feet high, this triumphal arch is a key attraction for tourists visiting Rome. And yet this is the first modern book in English on the monument. Iain Ferris analyses the arch and the reign of Constantine himself, as well as discussing the reuse of artworks salvaged from older monuments in its construction, its complex and impressive decoration, and the use of arches as civic commemorative monuments in the Roman world. All of this is set against the broader geographical, chronological and cultural context.

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About the Author

Dr Iain Ferris is a professional archaeologist of thirty-seven years’ standing, and has taught at Birmingham and Manchester Universities. He is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London and has published widely. His research interests include Roman art and material culture and Romano-British archaeology and artefacts. He has directed major archaeological research excavations in northern and midland England and has served as a member of the Archaeology Committee of the Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies.He lives in Pembrey, Carmarthenshire, Wales.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Amberley Publishing (December 15, 2013)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 160 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 144560129X
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1445601298
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.03 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.77 x 0.5 x 9.76 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #3,688,278 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #663 in Religious Building Architecture
- #817 in Monument Photography
- #1,273 in Landmarks & Monuments

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Iain Ferris
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I am a writer and archaeologist based in Pembrey, Carmarthenshire, Wales, specialising in Roman art and archaeology. I have worked at Birmingham University and Manchester University and directed major excavations in northern England and the midlands. I gained my PhD in 2001 and was elected a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London in 2012. I have published widely in academic journals and specialist archaeological monographs and now have written ten popular books on different aspects of Roman life, art, and material culture, as featured on this page. My eighth book, 'Cave Canem. Animals and Roman Society', examined Roman attitudes to the natural world and was published in February 2018. My ninth book-'The Dignity of Labour'-about images of artisans and workers in the Roman world and the construction of identity was published in January 2021, having been delayed by the pandemic. My tenth book-'Visions of the Roman North: Art and Identity in Northern Roman Britain' was published by Archaeopress in April 2021 and has been well received. My eleventh book-'A Map of the Body, a Map of the Mind. Visualising Geographical Knowledge in the Roman World'-is now finished and with Archaeopress publishers. In it I examine the use of visual imagery in the Roman world to convey geographical information and how that information might have been received and perceived. Following the positive reception of my 'Visions....' book I have also started compiling a similar, short study focused on Roman Wales, provisionally titled 'Whatever Slips Beyond the Edge: the Visual Culture of Roman Wales.' In addition, I have worked up a proposal for a personal memoir about working in British archaeology for the past forty years-'Archaeological Confidential' and have almost finished writing a literary thriller-'The Observation Platform'-which hopefully I can interest an agent in promoting.
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I. M. Ferris
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Critical Mass

A TRIUMPHANT BOOK ABOUT A TRIUMPHAL MONUMENT

Reviewed in the United States on January 22, 2015

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THE ARCH OF CONSTANTINE by Iain Ferris (author of HATE AND WAR The Column of Marcus Aurelius) is an outstanding and comprehensive study of what is considered to be the last and arguably the most magnificent of Rome's triumphal monuments. The first chapter is a fine overview of the political and personal background to the life and times of Constantine and its potential relevance as to what appears on the Arch and where. Here, as is the case throughout the book, the well written text is buttressed by an abundance of detailed and clear photographs in b&w which clarify and support what is being expounded. The second chapter deals with the material fabric and achitectural/sculptural structure of the Arch as well as the significance of what is inscribed on its attic (thus the sub-title of the book: "Inspired by the Divine"). Ferris also addresses the seminal scholarship of Elizabeth Marlowe who has dealt with the Arch's place in the urban topography or Rome, possibly equal in importance to what is actually presented on the monument itself. The longtime debate about who built the Arch and when is discussed in depth; and the author comes out on the side of the generally accepted conclusion that it was indeed constructed to honor Constantine with the groundwork for it beginning in 313AD.

Additional chapters deal with the "good" emperors - Trajan, Hadrian, and Marcus Aurelius - and what their monuments contributed to the A of C; an in depth discussion of the various sculptural programs intentionally "inspired by the divine"; the specter and building legacy of Maxentius in Rome ("The Ghost in the Machine"); "Collage and Memory" discusses the use of "spolia" on the Arch and the reasons for the specifics of it. The subject is also treated with reference to the new capital - Constantinople (Istanbul) - of the Eastern Roman Empire and its relationship to the acquisition of "holy Christian" relics. A final chapter ("A Metaphor for Modernity") not only deals with the artistic legacy of the Arch but contains an excellent discussion and critique of Bernard Berenson's "misguided" 1954 analysis of the A of C. An Appendix, 39 color photographs, and a superb and up to date very extensive bibliography (along with notes) completes the book.

It is also the opinion of this reviewer that the Arch of Constantine should rightfully be considered both the last Pagan monument and first Christian monument above ground in the city of Rome.

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