Arch of Constantine

The triumphal Arch of Constantine sits right between the Colosseum and the Roman Forum, and it is one of the last monuments of Imperial Rome. It was built in 315 AD, only a few years before Constantine moved the capital of the Roman Empire to Byzantium. It was built to celebrate the victory of Constantine over his co-emperor Maxentius during the Battle of the Milvian Bridge of 362 AD. According to Constantine, the victory is attributed to a dream in which he was told to mark his men’s shields with the first two Greek letters of Christ’s name (xhi and rho). However, the Christian tradition says that in his dream Constantine had a vision of the Cross, mid battle. There are no signs of Christianity in the arch as most of the reliefs were taken from earlier pagan monuments.
Tip: The best view of the Arch is from a little distance, on the way to the Colosseum, or from inside the Colosseum itself.