The Shields and Frieze Above the Front Face

The side you see when standing in front of the Arc on the Champs-Élysées end is its main façade. We will work our way down from the very top. If the details are too high to make out, refer to the accompanying photos.

A frieze is a decorative band running around a building. Along the top of the Arc, round shields inscribed with text circle the monument, and each one bears the name of a battle Napoleon won. Beneath them runs a long relief frieze, also wrapped around the Arc. Titled "The Departure of the Armies," it depicts French infantry, cavalry and artillery alongside figures who distinguished themselves in the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars.