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There are two monumental arches located in Besançon (known as “Porte Noire”) and in Reims (known as “Porte de Mars”), in the former Roman provinces of Germania Superior and Gallia Belgica. They may be less famous than those of Orange or Glanum, in former Gallia Narbonensis, but they nevertheless serve as very good examples of Roman urbanism and monumental art. This article aims to compare these two monuments in order to show how original they are, especially in terms of iconography, but also how similar they are. In Besançon, the “Porte Noire” is a one-passageway monumental arch almost entirely covered by highly detailed carvings. On the exterior of the passageway, these carvings mostly illustrate mythological scenes (Castor and Pollux, Herakles, Ajax, Leda...). On the top of the archway, Zeus is seen fighting against Giants. Inside the archway, the carvings depict the Roman army fighting against Eastern (Parthians) and Western (Germanic) enemies. In Reims, the “Porte de Mars” is a wide three-passageway arch. The carvings placed inside the central passageway also showed the Roman army fighting against enemies, but they are now in very poor condition. This monument is mostly famous for the carvings located on the ceilings of the three passageways. The two lateral scenes show mythological figures (Zeus and Leda; Romulus and Remus), while the central one depicts a calendar, illustrated with rural motifs. A very close study of this unique sculptural ornamentation (thanks to a recent cleaning operation in the case of Besançon) allows a better understanding of the context of their construction, and, therefore, the proposal of a new dating system: the end of emperor Marcus Aurelius’ reign. Both arches must be placed in the context of the Marcomannic Wars and of the triumphal procession held by the emperor and his son Commodus in Rome in 176 AD. Both arches serve as a testament to the penetration of Greco-Roman culture and mythology in the western provinces of the Roman Empire. They also reflect its importance in the celebration and the staging of the imperial power in urban and civic space.