628 THE NATURE OF ROMAN MYTHOLOGY
Jupiter, Juno, and Minerva. Marble panel relief from the attic of the west side of the Arch
of Trajan at Benevento, ca. 115 A.D.; height of panel, 90V 2 in. Jupiter, the central figure in
the Capitoline triad, hands his thunderbolt, symbol of power, to Trajan, who appears in
the corresponding panel on the other side of the central inscription on the attic. The arch
was erected to celebrate the completion of the Via Traiana, the road from Rome to Brin-
disi, where it left the old Âppian Way. In the background are other Olympian gods: Her-
cules to the left (behind Minerva), Apollo, Venus, and Mercury (with his winged cap).
(Photo Alinari.)