CACrown ArchivesThe cinema collection
Menu
Research dossier · Places & Architecture

Arch of Dolabella

building in Rome, Italy

Architectural plans, a scale model, maps and brass measuring instruments
Places and architectureInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionJul 23, 2026
Entity authorityQ5830586 ↗
Source-derived summary

The Arch of Dolabella and Silanus (Latin, Arcus Dolabellae et Silani) or Arch of Dolabella is an ancient Roman arch. It was built by senatorial decree in 10 AD by the consuls P. Cornelius Dolabella and C. Junius Silanus.

Arch

The arch is located on the Caelian Hill, at the north corner of the site of the Castra Peregrina. It spans the modern Via di S. Paolo della Croce, along the line of the ancient Clivus Scauri. Its location indicates that it was a rebuilding of one of the gates of the Servian Walls, though which one is unclear: possibly the Porta Querquetulana (or Querquetularia) or the Porta Caelimontana. Although the latter is considered the more likely original, there is no indication that any important road went out of the city through the Caelimontana.

History

The extension of the Aqua Claudia undertaken during the reign of Nero made use of the Arch of Dolabella for the last section. Its original purpose was probably to support a branch of the Aqua Marcia.

The travertine arch was not decorated with sculptural relief.

See also

Arch of Drusus – Ancient Roman arch, a landmark of Rome, Italy

List of ancient monuments in Rome

References

External links

Bill Thayer's photo at LacusCurtius

Lucentini, M. (31 December 2012).

Editorial summary

“Arch of Dolabella” enters the record as building in Rome, Italy. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Arch, Dolabella and building can confirm, complicate or overturn.

Editorial reviewA strong orientation record where physical form, institutional use and historical geography need to be read together. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—2012—that can be checked directly. The selected authority fields contribute no independent date. Its strongest next move is a source search built around Arch, Dolabella and building.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

“Arch of Dolabella” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Arch, Dolabella and building provides the most credible route into that argument.

Evidence profile

Maps, plans, fabric surveys and administrative records can establish how the site’s name, extent and function changed over time. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 23, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q5830586. Authority coordinates are 41.886, 12.495. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2012.

Critical limits

A single description cannot reconcile every naming convention, rebuilding phase or administrative transfer associated with a place. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.

Best used for
  • Historic place names
  • Jurisdictional context
  • Routes into maps and plans
Verify next

Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Arch of Dolabella”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Arch of Dolabella primary sources, Arch of Dolabella archive and Arch research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Arch of Dolabella”?
  2. Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
  3. Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
Subject index

Search terms from this dossier

Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “Arch of Dolabella” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.