Duderstadt Gallery: Section 3 - Triumphal Arch

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THE TRUIMPHAL ARCH AND SHOPPING PLAZA
Shortly after the city was refounded as a Roman colony, the people of Antioch began to erect a lavish sanctuary complex dedicated to the worship of the emperor Augustus and the imperial family. The sanctuary was built at the highest point of the city, overlooking a small shopping district known as the Tiberia Platea, or Plaza of Tiberius. The open space of this plaza provided a clear view of the magnificent triumphal arch that served as the propylon, or entrance gateway, to the imperial sanctuary. With its stores, restaurants, and fountains, the Tiberia Platea offered a convenient place for worshippers to shop, eat, and relax before proceeding into, or after exiting from, the sacred space of the imperial sanctuary.

February 18, 2006
Digital Image
Courtesy of J. Matthew Harrington