I don't know why many civilisations love to celebrate their glory by building arches?! Napoleon made no exception when he decided to have a very big arch of triumph built at the top of the Champs Elysées in 1806 after having conquered most of Europe! The arch was completed in 1836 (long after Napoleon was defeated at Waterloo in 1815!) and it now keeps the memory of the dead killed in World War I (1914/1918).
L'arche est à la fois le symbole de la porte monumentale par laquelle passait le général victorieux en rentrant dans sa cité (comme à Babylone) et celui des fourches caudines, sous lesquelles les romains faisaient passer leurs adversaires vaincus, obligés de se courber pour passer.
ReplyDeleteVoili. Bon, Eric, je te laisse traduire pour nos amis anglophones, je suis pas réveillé...
Well... the Eiffel Tower!
ReplyDeleteTaking pictures of the Arch of Triumph from Eiffel Tower, your Japanese blood is kicking in, man.. :~) Great picture!
ReplyDeleteLOL Anonymous! Well... What can I say?
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