Arch of Dolabella, Roman city gate on Caelian Hill, Rome, Italy

The Arch of Dolabella is a travertine gate on the Caelian Hill, spanning the Via di S. Paolo della Croce along the line of the ancient Clivus Scauri. It stands at the north corner of the Castra Peregrina site and has a plain attic without sculptural relief. The Aqua Claudia's extension under Nero crossed it.

The arch was built by senatorial decree in 10 AD under the consuls Publius Cornelius Dolabella and Gaius Junius Silanus, restoring the Porta Caelimontana of the Servian Walls in the Augustan period. Its travertine came from Tivoli. Under Nero the extension of the Aqua Claudia was carried across the arch; its original purpose was probably to support a branch of the Aqua Marcia.

The arch is named for the consuls Publius Cornelius Dolabella and Gaius Iunius Silanus, whose names appear in the inscription on the outer face of the attic, recording the restoration of 10 AD. It spans the Via di S. Paolo della Croce along the line of the ancient Clivus Scauri, and a path beside it leads into the park of Villa Celimontana.

The gateway sits at the intersection of two streets on the Caelian Hill and is easy to reach on foot. The nearby Church of Santa Maria in Domnica and Villa Celimontana park help you locate the spot.

The travertine blocks came from quarries at Tivoli, and the arch carries no sculptural relief at all. Its flat attic bears the inscription naming the consuls of 10 AD, Publius Cornelius Dolabella and Gaius Iunius Silanus, the wording still legible on the outer face.