Roman triumph in France: the Arch of Campanus

Roman triumph in France: the Arch of Campanus

The Arch of Campanus, an ancient Roman funerary monument, stands proud in the French town of Aix-les-Bains. Dating back to the 1st century, the purpose and history of this fascinating piece of French heritage remain uncertain.

The Arch of Campanus, a funerary memorial erected in the 1st century AD by Lucius Pompeius Campanus, is a French monument historique located in the commune of Aix-les-Bains, Savoie, in the Rhône-Alpes region of France. The arch is 9.15 metres high and 7.1 metres wide, and its limestone blocks are placed without mortar. Its single vault is a semicircular arch of 6 by 3.5 metres. The arch has an entablature with an architrave and a frieze of eight niches. On the west facade, the names of Lucius Pompeius Campanus' ancestors are engraved. However, the function of the monument remains uncertain, thought to be a funerary arch or a city gate.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons

Written by Nicolo Ciampini

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