Thursday, September 19, 2013

ARCH OF THE MONEY CHANGERS

ARCO DEGLI ARGENTARI
204 AD, built by the corporation of argentarii or money changers
It was one of the entrances to the Forum Boario in Severian period (193/235)
On the left:
Caracalla (211/217) by a figure later erased for damnatio memoriae, maybe representing his brother Geta (211/212) or the praetorian prefect Plautianus (killed in 205 by order of Caracalla), and his daughter Plautilla, wife of Caracalla who later sent her in exile
On the right:
Septimius Severus (193/211) and Julia Domna with another erased figure (Plautilla or Geta)
"The front, the lack of perspective and the drawn outline of the figures, coupled with the hierarchy of scale are all elements that, anticipating formal modes of expression of late antiquity, combine to give a mystical aura to the imperial image" (Simona Fortunelli - TMG)
Numerous holes were dug on the arch in the Middle Ages to search for an elusive treasure that was hidden by argentarii

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