The Augustus Arch is the oldest of the surviving Roman arches and dates from 27 BC. It was built to honour Caesar Octavianus Augustus. The arch is engraved with a dedication to the Emperor Cesare Augusto from ‘the Roman Senate and People’. There are also symbols of gods and goddesses: Jove, father of the gods and the most important of Roman divinities; Neptune, the god of waters; Apollo, the son of Jove and protector of health; and Minerva, who protects of the city of Rome and arts and trades.