the arch is a quintessential component of roman architecture and engineering and the triumphal arch is a real standout feature built to commemorate the victories of triumphing generals and emperors in the city of rome and they tend to be located along the triumphal procession route which can vary through the centuries around the heart of the city of rome now there is the port to triumphales which is a very early gate and it seems to be the original concept of decorating an individual arch and by the second century bc you have nearby arches that are dedicated in the forum bowarm area but it's really under the emperors that you get these stand-alone free-standing arches single or triple located in the heart of the city of rome and they are impressive they are commemorating victories that are fought by the roman emperor and his soldiers sometimes for decades three impressive imperial arches still stand in the heart of rome today you have the arch of titus on the velia hill celebrating the battle over jerusalem you have the arch of september severus in the heart of the roman forum itself standing 21 meters high a triple arch which celebrates the victories over the parthians and then you have the arch of constantine of similar dimensions as the arch of september severus over by the coliseum and this of course celebrates the victory of constantine over the previous emperor maxentius there are many more victorious arches that are constructed in the city of rome that we have record of but we don't have preserved in the roman forum area it was the arch of augustus and the arch of tiberius on the capitoline hill it's the arch of nero and there were a number of arches that decorated the via flaminia in the campus marshes including the arch of claudius and the arch of diocletian there's also a second arch of titus built inside the circus maximus but that does not survive the freestanding arch continues to be built throughout the world probably the most famous in the modern world is the octatrion from paris there's also the washington arch in washington plaza in new york and arches continue to be built to celebrate military victories often times are associated with war memorials