[2] An alternative view is that it was built to provide shelter for the traders at the Forum Boarium cattle market.

The keystone at the apex of the central arch on the north side is thought to depict Minerva,[2] although others believe it may be Palladium.

Iron pins originally held together the marble blocks but were removed in the Middle Ages, leading to the monument's present pock-marked look.

[2] Fragments of the dedicatory inscription are still preserved inside the nearby church of San Giorgio in Velabro.

The arch has not been accessible to the public since the explosion of a bomb in front of San Giorgio in Velabro, on the night of 27 July 1993.