Septimius Severus, Quadrifons

António Pedro Marques20 Aug 2011, 22:38as archived

Sorry if this have been brought up before. Septimius Severus's triumphal arch in Leptis Magna (Libya) is an arcus quadrifons, i.e. a square with an arch in each side. I don't know whether such arches were normal or rare; another one is one that is tought to have been erected by Constantine, but for no known purposes. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Leptis_Magna_Arch_of_Septimus_Severus.jpg http://www.livius.org/ro-rz/rome/rome_arch_janus.html

Lee Berman22 Aug 2011, 13:10as archived

↳ follows António Pedro Marques · by subject

Antonio Pedro Marques:

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Septimius Severus's triumphal arch in Leptis Magna (Libya) is an arcus quadrifons, i.e. a square with an arch in each side. I don't know whether such arches were normal or rare; another one is one that is tought to have been erected by Constantine, but for no known purposes.

Well, I don't know a lot about architecture but I remember the Arc de Triomphe in Paris being quadrifronic http://middlezonemusings.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/arc-de-triomphe.jpg And it is based on the Arch of Titus, in Rome. So, I'd guess it is a pretty standard form. With regard to its significance in Short Sun, I think this blurb from Wikipedia about Janus Quadrifrons might tie the reference to the concept of planetary and universal destruction and rebirth which was introduced in BotNS. Perhaps the Whorl is meant to show us a faster cycling version of the planets which, in turn, are faster cycling models of the universe.

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QUADRIFRONS:

Quadrifrons is believed to be the fourth face of the God Janus and represents an aspect of the God's attitude and life-cycle. Quadrifrons represents death and destruction or the end of the life-cycle while Trifrons represents wisdom and Bifrons represents virility thus completing the beginning-to-end cycle that begins with Janus itself.

António Marques24 Aug 2011, 00:12as archived

↳ in reply to Lee Berman

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On 22 August 2011 14:10, Lee Berman <severiansola at hotmail.com> wrote: Antonio Pedro Marques:

Septimius Severus's triumphal arch in Leptis Magna (Libya) is an arcus quadrifons, i.e. a square with an arch in each side. I don't know whether such arches were normal or rare; another one is one that is tought to have been erected by Constantine, but for no known purposes.

Well, I don't know a lot about architecture but I remember the Arc de Triomphe in Paris being quadrifronic http://middlezonemusings.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/arc-de-triomphe.jpg And it is based on the Arch of Titus, in Rome. ?So, I'd guess it is a pretty standard form.

No, the severin and the possibly constantinian ones really are square, all faces being the same size.

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With regard to its significance in Short Sun, I think this blurb from Wikipedia about Janus Quadrifrons might tie the reference to the concept of planetary and universal destruction and rebirth which was introduced in BotNS (...)

Yes; I just found it interesting that Severus's name (I never saw an explanation for Severian's name, and for whatever reason I expected one) and possibly the first christian emperor were associated to the word 'quadrifons'.

Mo Holkar24 Aug 2011, 09:13as archived

↳ in reply to António Marques

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At 01:12 24/08/2011, Ant?nio wrote: (I never saw an explanation for Severian's name, and for whatever reason I expected one)

There has been a bit of discussion relating Severian's name to the character Severin in Sacher-Masoch's Venus in Furs Wolfe being Wolfe, there are likely several strands of reference brought together in the name. (According to LU, there are 5 saints so named.) best, Mo # ~ # ~ # WolfeWiki -- a wiki about Gene Wolfe http://www.wolfewiki.com/pmwiki/