With the military success of the Emperor came a dramatic building program in Rome as well as in his city of birth, Leptis Magna, which is now a World Heritage Site.

Part of his building programs, erected to celebrate the triumph of the Parthian victories, were two arches in Rome as well as one in Leptis Magna.

[1] Built as a tetrapylon, the four-way arch marks the intersection of the two most significant urban roads, the cardo, north–south direction, and the Decumanus Maximus, the main east–west thoroughfare of this once-prominent port city of the Roman Empire in Africa.

Not typical of Roman architecture, the Arch's broken pediment draws from an eastern tradition extending from Asia to Palestine.

To legitimate their rule, the Severans assimilated themselves to the Antonines, the most recent dynasty to occupy the throne, therefore elements of their imperial arts perfectly attribute to his dynastic intentions.

Although typical triumphal scenes depict a slave or Victory holding a crown above the victor, there is none present; instead, the chariot is decorated with images of Cyble, Hercules and Venus.

Both Roman and Provincial gods are present in the relief scenes, seeking to declare the role the Severans would play in Rome and their desire to aid the Provinces.

[1] When Giacomo Guidi found the arch, it was completely fragmented, showing only the base structure, buried underneath the sand.