Triumphal Arch of Orange

I was getting ready to leave Orange when I saw a sign pointing to one of the more important sites here in the town. Back then Orange was a more important town as far as the Romans were concerned and there was a lot of activity here. Not too far from the town center is a triumphal arch which was also built by the Romans. Although the arch hasn’t been precisely dated, it seems like it is also around two thousand years old which makes it as old as the ancient theater of Orange. Back then there was a wall surrounding the town. This was obviously to protect the town from invaders.

The triumphal arch used to be part of the wall and this made an impressive gate from which people can pass. Interestingly, the ancient theater was also part of this wall. Unfortunately, most of the wall is no longer there but at least the important parts of the wall have been left more or less intact. The triumphal arch is dedicated to the soldiers who fought wars in the nearby areas. There are depictions of these soldiers carved into the wall of the arch. The arch appears to be a smaller version of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. This one appears to be more practical since is built as a gate for people to use entering the town.

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