GALLERY ARC

This 12.5 m-high Roman arch (Αψίδα του Γαλέριου/Apsida tou Galeriou) is one of Thessaloniki's most emblematic monuments, along with the White Tower, and a regular meeting point for locals along Egnatia Avenue, halfway between the Rotunda and the remains of Galerius' palace. Also known as Kamara (Καμάρα), it was part of a majestic tetrapyle, a "four-door" monument built on Via Egnatia between 299 and 303 to celebrate the victory of the Roman co-emperor Galerius against the Sassanid Empire and its allies at the Battle of Satala, Armenia, in the year 298. While the other three arches have disappeared, the surviving one is composed of three brick pillars, two of which are adorned with fine marble bas-reliefs: battle scenes, two horsemen (Galerius and Emperor Narseh) confronting each other, women bringing the surrender of the peoples of Armenia and Mesopotamia, the population welcoming Galerius mounted on a chariot, or, in a less well-preserved area, processions of dromedaries and elephants carrying the spoils. The monument was intended to establish Galerius' authority. Its construction took place during the Roman Tetrarchy, when the Empire was divided between four rulers: two emperors with the title of Augustus and two co-emperors, like Galerius, with the title of Caesar. Originally from a Roman colony in present-day Serbia, Galerius rose to the rank of Augustus in 305 and ruled the eastern part of the Empire until his death in 311.