Arch of Galerius, Thessaloniki, Greece.

Arch of Galerius, Thessaloniki, Greece.

Arch of Galerius, Thessaloniki, Greece.
The Arch of Galerius (also called Kamara) stands on what is now the intersection of Via Egnatia and Dimitriou Gounari streets. Construction of the arch was spanned the years 298 and 299 AD; it was dedicated in 303 AD to celebrate the victory of the tetrarch Galerius over the Sassanid Persians at the Battle of Satala and the capture of their capital Ctesiphon in 298.
The structure was an octopylon (eight-pillared gateway) forming a triple arch that was built of a rubble masonry core faced first with brick and then with marble panels with sculptural relief. The central arched opening was 9.7 m wide and 12.5 m high, and the secondary openings on other side were 4.8 m wide and 6.5 m high. The central arch spanned the portion of the Via Egnatia (primary Roman road from Dyrrhacium to Byzantium) that passed through the city as a decumanus (east-west major street).
Only the northwestern three of the eight pillars and parts of the masonry cores of the arches above survive: the entire eastern side (four pillars) and the southernmost one of the western pillars are lost. Extensive consolidation with modern brick has been performed on the exposed masonry cores to protect the monument. The two pillars flanking the central arched passageway retain their sculpted marble slabs, which depict the wars of Galerius against the Persians.