Roman Triumphal Arch, Reims

The Triumphal Arch (Porte de Mars) in Reims, France, is the ruins of a 3^rd century AD Roman archway. It was named after a nearby temple to Mars, the Roman god of war. It is thought that local residents built it to thank the Romans for building the road through Reims.

It is the only remaining arch of four gates on the Gallo-Roman road in Durocortorum, now Reims. It is 32 metres (105 feet) long and 13 metres (43 feet) high. It has carvings, including Romulus and Remus, Leda and the swan, and farm workers.

It was destroyed in 1595 and covered in debris. It was re-discovered in 1667 and fully revealed in 1844-1854.

MARTINA NICOLLS

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MARTINA NICOLLS is an international aid and development consultant, and the author of: The Paris Residences of James Joyce (2020), Similar But Different in the Animal Kingdom (2017), The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).

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