Emperor Constantine I
Constantine the Great after assuming imperial power tried in every possible way to emphasize his dominant position. A huge statue of the emperor was set up in Rome, the surviving fragments of which (head and foot) give an idea of the size of the monument. There is also a triumphal arch – one of the three preserved to our times.
The iconography of the building leaves no doubt – the emperor was proud of his victory over Maxentius. It should be noted that the civil war was an embarrassing topic for the Romans for centuries and external signs of triumph were avoided. For example, Julius Caesar, after his victory over Pompey officially triumphed over his allies from neighbouring countries, and Octavian Augustus sought to destroy all documents from the period of civil wars.
- Krawczuk Aleksander, Poczet cesarzy rzymskich, Warszawa 2004
