Trajans Column Rome
Trajans Column – Via del Foro di Traiano, Rome, Italy
You can see the Trajans column from a bit away as you walk down the street. It is located in Trajan’s Forum, close to the Quirinal Hill, just north of the Roman Forum. It’s just a short walk from the Roman forum and the Coliseum. As you approach it you begin to notice that it has a lot of drawings on it. It is very tall and the carvings are incredibly detailed and historically significant. It commemorates Roman emperor Trajan’s victory in the Dacian Wars. Trajans Column is beautifully carved with scenes of the epic battles.
It’s continuous spiral frieze is beautifully sculptured and well-preserved. It features over 2,500 individual drawings, emperor Trajan is placed over 55 times and is larger than every one else. It shows intricate details of troop formations, weapons, ships and more. However the carvings at the top of the column are difficult to see from the ground.
It was designed by Apollodorus of Damascus and was completed in AD 113. Trajan’s column stands at 120 ft, composed of 29 drums of Italian white marble. It stands on an 8-block base and is topped by a two-block pedestal.
In the beginning a statue of an eagle was placed on top of the column. However after the death of Trajan it was replaced by a statue of the emperor himself. His ashes were buried within the foundations of the column. In 1587, Pope Sixtus V crowned the top with a bronze figure of St. Peter, which remains to this day.
I think Trajans Column is one of the most stunning and architecturally awe-inspiring monuments from ancient Rome. It is definitely a monument that should be on everyone’s list of things to see in Rome. It’s free to look at this column from the road and worth the visit, you’ll learn a lot of history.
Trajans Column is located at Via del Foro di Traiano, Rome, Italy.
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