Travel with Rick Steves · Saturday, September 12, 2026
Philip Barlag explains how the damaged sections of the Arch of Septimius Severus reveal a history of familial conflict. The missing imagery is due to Emperor Caracalla ordering the erasure of his brother Geta's memory after having him murdered.
“What you notice is what's missing. There are some big chunks taken out of, uh, the arch of Septimius Severus. And unlike a lot of ancient monuments, it's not decay or degradation over the years, it was a deliberate act.”
“Severus had two sons, Caracalla and Geta. They hated each other. And they fought and they feuded. And when their dad died, they went to war with one another. Uh, and then Caracalla eventually wins. By the way, having Geta murdered in the arms of their mother, uh, and then prohibiting her from showing any public mourning over his death, lest he kill her too.”
“And so when you see the big chunks taken out of the arch of Septimius Severus, what you're looking at is where Geta would have been, when his dad built the monument before the brothers decided to kill one another.”