On December 2, Kimberly Cassibry (Associate Professor of Art, Wellesley College) will present “A Colonial Monument: Remembering an Ancient Triumphal Arch in France.”

December 2, 5 pm

Tinkham Veale Center, Ballroom A

Current debates about imperialism, commemoration,CWRU_JuliusFund_103022 and cultural heritage have profound implications for ancient art history. This talk focuses on a triumphal arch constructed around 20 BCE in a Roman colony called Arausio (Orange, France). The sculpted monument preserves important evidence for three key developments: innovative architectural design and visualization of conquest in the Roman Empire’s provinces; national heritage initiatives that emerged as France pursued its own empire in the 18th and 19th centuries; and global politics related to the monument’s UNESCO World Heritage listing in 1981. How should this triumphal
arch—a Roman colonial monument that has become a French national treasure—be remembered in the future?