Erected in 203 A.D. to honor Septimius Severus for his victories, the Arch of Septimius Severus has an interesting history. The arch has an inscription on top to Septimius Severus and his son, Caracalla, but upon closer inspection one can see that part of the inscription hides another inscription. Apparently the arch was originally dedicated not only to Septimius Severus and his son Caracalla but also to Severus' other son, Geta. After Severus' death, the two sons divided the imperial power, but less than one year later, in 212, Caracalla killed Geta and became Emperor. Of course Caracalla wanted to destroy any memories of his brother, so he covered the reference to Geta with a different inscription.
