| The central inscription is repeated on both sides of the attic.
Only the holes in which the original bronze letters were mounted remain.
But the text is still easily readable. |
To the emperor Caesar Flavius Constantine Maximus,
Pius Felix Augustus,
since through divine inspiration and great wisdom
he has delivered the state
from the tyrant and all his factions,
by his army and noble arms,
the Senate and the Roman People,
dedicate this arch decorated with triumphal insignia. |
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| Centeral Inscription |
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The tyrant that is mentioned is Maxentius, and the battle is the
Milvian Bridge. The most debated part of the inscription is the
words instinctu divinitatis, “by divine inspiration”.
This could be a reference to the famous vision Constantine was said
to have had before the battle.
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