COMMEMORATIVE BUILDINGS Picture of Traianian Column at Rome   One of the main objectives of Rome, after conquering lands, was integrating them in Roman world, not only in its politicl system, but also in social and cultural one. That is "romanizing" them. When people in a country felt themselves a part of "Roman world" they would never raise against governement, since their land was a part of it. In order to get it Romans used elements to remember their people that they belonged to a great Empire. Romans constructed monumental public buildings for leisure, temples for worship and a good urban structure. They also set idyllic statues of the different Caesars and Emperors and commerative buildings of events, specially great war triumphs.   Unfortunately, many of these buildings are nowadays lost: since they got a military meaning, they were destructed or ruined when Roman Empire lost its authority.   Most widespread Roman commemorative buildings were triumphal archs and columns.   Triumphal archs Arch with one gate   They were usually placed at the main entrance of cities in order to remember travellers and inhabitants the Greatness and Strenght of Roman world. At the beginning they were wooden archs where trophies and richness from wars were shown. This habitude changed: Romans built commemorative archs with inscriptions. They were a Roman creation and they succeded: many of them have been constructed until the present days.   Archs were used not only for commemorating Roman victories or military generals: they also marked limits between provincial borders.

Looking at their structure and elevations, archs can be divided into archs with one gate, with three or quadrilateral. Archs with one gate. The single arch withone gate crowned by an entablature with an inscription. It is often based on columns or engaged pillars. Architrave on columns supports a cornice: There a text explaining the cause of its erection can be read. Triumphal archs built on bridges should also be mentioned in this section, though they are described in the page on engineering works -theBridge of Alcantara BASIC INFORMATIONand Martorell one-. Elevation of the Arch of Cabanes   In Hispania can be found the:   Arch of Bara, in Tarragone. It is probably the most well-known arch in Peninsula. BASIC INFORMATION Arch of Cabanes, in Cabanes, Castellon. It is a curious arch placed in Via Augusta since only the fasciae supporting architrave remains. The whole wall in wich the gate would be open did not survive. Arch of Trajan in Merida, Badajoz. This famous arch must be seen as a not triumphal arch: it was really a triumphal gate to the forum of the city. (Introducing it in this section is due to the purpose of mark this mistake and change traditional classifications.) See description at the page on Emerita Augusta   Arch with three gates. Triumphal archs with three gates Archs with three gates were the most usual in Roman world, but not in Hispania. They kept their habitual structure: two lateral small gates and a wider and higher central one. They were often used as "control gates" to cities: the central one -bigger than the others- were designed for carts and animals; lateral ones for people: one for entering, the other as exit. The only arch of this kind in Hispania is the famous Roman Arch in Medinaceli:   Arch of Medinaceli at Medinaceli, Soria. BASIC INFORMATION   Four-sided arch. Four-sided arch: Plan and perspective. As its name shows it has four sides. Its square -or slightly rectangular- plan supports in each side an arch that -it is clear- directly communicates with its opposite and, in a perpendicular way, with the others.   It is the rarest of all Roman archs in Hispania. It only remains one: Arch of Capera.   Arch of Capera (also known as Arch of Caparra) in Oliva de Plasencia, Caceres. BASIC INFORMATION   Commemorative columns   Commemorative columns There are few samples of commemorative columns in Hispania, though they were probably more frequent than it could seem. Four columns in the province of Ourense, in San Juan del Rio are the most outstanding. Two of them show the inscriptions devoted to Emperors Flavius Claudius Julianus and Constantinus Augustus.   "Three columns of Ciudad Rodrigo", are also important: they had the function of marking borders between provinces of Mirobriga and Lusitania. They can also be erected to the glory of Emperor August. Their inscription let us read: IMP.CAESAR.AVGVSTVS.PONTIF.MAX.TRIBVN.POTES.XXVIII.COS.XIII PATER.PATR.TERMINVS.AVGVST.INTER.MIROBR.VALVT.ET.BLETIS.VAL Its translation: Emperor Caesar Augustus, Pontifex Maximus, after holding for twenty-eight times the Power of Tribune, ordered in his thirteenth Consulate as a Pater of the Land that these places were the borders for Mirobriga and he wanted that it be as valid as those of Bletisa.”   Doubtless, the best instance of these works is the famous Traian Column at Rome. It is decorated with a spiral of relieves dealing with scenes of his campaignes in Danube and with inscriptions.