This page shows the locations of all the arches in Pompeii. All these arches are honorific and not triumphal.
The names that have been attributed are very varied and can be confusing.
The names we have used are based on most common usage and those used by the Soprintendenza.
According to John Dobbins “While the arches are early imperial, their precise dates, the date of removal of the one, and the individuals to whom they were dedicated are unknown”.
Please press one of the links to go to the page for that arch.
The Arches button in the menu on every page will always bring you back to this page.
Name used most |
Other Names* |
Location |
Link to arch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Augustus | Arco di Druso, figlio di Tiberio [Spano and Sogliano] | North west corner of the Forum at the south west corner of the Temple of Jupiter | Arch of Augustus |
| Caligula | Arch of Tiberius or Caligula or Augustus [Gell]; Arch of C. Caesar Augustus and castellum aquae [Fiorelli] Arch of Nero [Mau] Arch of Mercurio [after street location] [but according to Katherine E Welch, the statue on which the naming as Caligula is based is probably Marcus Tullius who donated the adjacent Temple of Fortuna.] |
Between VI.8 SE and VI.10 SW Crossroads of Via di Mercurio and Via delle Terme, Via della Fortuna and Via del Foro | Arch of Caligula |
| Nero | This arch may be the one now in the NE and that it was at some time moved northwards to its present position. [SANP, Nappo**] |
North east corner of the Forum at the south east corner of the Temple of Jupiter | Arch of Nero |
| Tiberius? | Arco di Nerone [Garucci] Arch of Nero Caesar (son of Germanicus) [Mommsen] Arco di Tiberio [Mau] Arco di Germanico e dei suo figli Druso e Nerone [Spano and Sogliano] |
North east corner entrance to the Forum, north of the Arch of Nero and south of the Arch of Caligula | Arch of Tiberius? |
| Arched Entrance | Arco di Caio e Lucio Cesare (Arch of Caius and Lucius Caesar) [See ADS1210a ICCD] | North-west corner entrance to the Forum |
Arched Entrance |
| Arched monument for Augustus statue? | One of four monuments for the imperial family, probably the pedestal for a colossal statue of Augustus. The other bases nearby were for statues of Claudius, Agrippina and Nero. [Mau] |
Midway along the south end of the Forum | Arched monument |
| Marcus Holconius Rufus | Statue inscribed with his name found here | Via dell' Abbondanza at junction with Via Stabiana, near the Stabian Baths. | Arch of Marcus Holconius Rufus |
* See Van der Poel, H. B., 1983. Corpus Topographicum Pompeianum, Part II. Austin: University of Texas.
**See Nappo, S., 1998. Pompeii: Guide to the lost City. London: Weidenfield and Nicolson. p. 104.
The Arch of Augustus is located in the north west corner of the Forum at the south west corner of the Temple of Jupiter.
The Arch of Caligula is located at the crossroads of Via di Mercurio and Via delle Terme, Via della Fortuna and Via del Foro.
The site of the Arch of Nero (now demolished) is located in the north east corner of the Forum at the south east corner of the Temple of Jupiter.
This arch is the north east corner entrance to the Forum. It is north of the Arch of Nero and south of the Arch of Caligula.
Arched Entrance in North West Corner of Forum
This arched doorway is one of two entrances at the north west corner of the Forum.
Arched monument [for a statue of Augustus?] at south end of Forum
This arched monument, which may be a base for a statue of Augustus, is a small arch located midway along the south end of the Forum and has three other monument bases nearby.
Arch of Marcus Holconius Rufus
This is a Tetrapylon arch with remains of four pillars each with a statue base. It is located on the Via dell'Abbondanza at its junction with the Via Stabiana.
The individuals to whom the arches were dedicated are unknown. The names that have been attributed over time have been very varied and can be confusing. For clarity, the names we have used are based on most common usage and those used by the Soprintendenza. On the web site of the Soprintendenza it states:
"Archi Onorari: - In opera
laterizia, un tempo rivestiti in marmo, chiudono scenograficamente il Foro a
Nord, a celebrare la famiglia imperiale. Dei due eretti ai lati del tempio di
Giove quello ad Ovest è attribuito ad Augusto, quello ad Est a Nerone, abbattuto forse dopo la morte (68 d.C.) e
condanna dell'imperatore ovvero per non ostruire la vista dell'altro arco
retrostante, all'ingresso Nord del Foro. Questo presenta su una fronte due
nicchie, che accoglievano statue di Nerone e Druso, sull'altra due fontane: una statua equestre (forse dell'imperatore
Tiberio) sormontava quest'arco. L'altro arco, posto sullo sfondo all'inizio di
via di Mercurio, è detto di Caligola, perché nelle vicinanze fu trovata una
statua equestre, forse raffigurante l'imperatore Caligola, che probabilmente
era collocata sull'arco."
The Soprintendenza says the arches are honorific [i. e. not triumphal].
The arch in the SW corner of the temple is the Arch of Augustus.
In the SE corner of the temple was the Arch of Nero, this latter being removed perhaps after the death and sentencing of Nero in 68AD (the senate had declared him a Public Enemy) or perhaps to improve the view of the other arches behind. According to John Dobbins, the arch was “removed in antiquity and the places where its piers were located were filled in with limestone paving slabs in a pattern that identifies the location of the arch”.
See Dobbins, J. J. and Foss, P. W., 2008. The World of Pompeii. Oxford: Routledge, p. 160.
The one immediately behind this was possibly surmounted by an equestrian statue of the Emperor Tiberius, with niches for statues of Drusus and Nero, and fountains on the other side.
Behind that was the arch attributed to Caligula, because of a statue possibly resembling him that was found in the vicinity.