ROCKY'S ITALY: Rome - The Arch of Constantine

Summary

• In 312 CE, Constantine marched against his co-emperor Maxentius. They fought at the Milvian Bridge, where Constantine won and became sole emperor of the West.
• Constantine commissioned the Arch of Constantine to commemorate the victory. The narrator explains that a triumphal arch’s dedication can be identified by reading the inscription on its upper band, called the attic. Here, it names Constantine as “Imperator Caesar Constantino Maximo” (“Emperor Caesar Constantine the Great”).
• Many relief sculptures on the arch were made before Constantine’s time and had originally been commissioned by emperors including Trajan, Hadrian, and Marcus Aurelius. The narrator interprets their reuse as a way for Constantine—who had taken power by force—to associate himself with respected rulers of the past and strengthen his legitimacy.
• The narrator notes that, one year after the victory, Constantine ratified the Edict of Milan, which allowed religions practiced in the Roman Empire, including Christianity.

Speakers and Sources

• Rocky Ruggiero — narrator and presenter.
• Music — background music; no additional speaker is identified.