{"id":599,"date":"2017-11-13T09:00:15","date_gmt":"2017-11-13T09:00:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lucius-romans\/?p=599"},"modified":"2018-01-15T19:13:40","modified_gmt":"2018-01-15T19:13:40","slug":"trajans-column-then-and-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lucius-romans\/2017\/11\/13\/trajans-column-then-and-now\/","title":{"rendered":"Trajan&#8217;s Column: then and now"},"content":{"rendered":"<ul class=\"kent-social-links\"><li><a href='http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lucius-romans\/2017\/11\/13\/trajans-column-then-and-now\/&amp;t=Trajan's Column: then and now' target='_blank'><i class='ksocial-facebook' title='Share via Facebook'><\/i><\/a><\/li><li><a href='http:\/\/twitter.com\/home?status=Trajan's Column: then and now%20https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lucius-romans\/2017\/11\/13\/trajans-column-then-and-now\/' target='_blank'><i class='ksocial-twitter' title='Share via Twitter'><\/i><\/a><\/li><li><a href='https:\/\/plus.google.com\/share?url=https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lucius-romans\/2017\/11\/13\/trajans-column-then-and-now\/' target='_blank'><i class='ksocial-google-plus' title='Share via Google Plus'><\/i><\/a><\/li><li><a href='http:\/\/linkedin.com\/shareArticle?mini=true&amp;url=https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lucius-romans\/2017\/11\/13\/trajans-column-then-and-now\/&amp;title=Trajan's Column: then and now' target='_blank'><i class='ksocial-linkedin' title='Share via Linked In'><\/i><\/a><\/li><li><a href='mailto:content=https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lucius-romans\/2017\/11\/13\/trajans-column-then-and-now\/&amp;title=Trajan's Column: then and now' target='_blank'><i class='ksocial-email' title='Share via Email'><\/i><\/a><\/li><\/ul><p><span style=\"color: #ffffff\">This month&#8217;s blog post is by Hayley Bradley, a postgraduate alumnus of the University of Kent.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #ffffff\">She is about to graduate with an MA in Roman History and Archaeology. During her studies she spent 3 months in Rome, where she developed an interest in the ancient architecture and monuments of the Imperial Forums. This blog arose out of a curiosity towards how ancient monuments and spaces were perceived, in both ancient and modern Rome.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ffffff\">Walking along the <a href=\"https:\/\/romeonrome.com\/2015\/02\/the-life-and-death-of-via-dei-fori-imperiali-1932-2015\/\">Via dei Fori Imperiali<\/a> in Rome today, when the Altare della Patria appears on our left, the remains of Trajan\u2019s Markets and Forum become visible on our right. Beyond that, an impressively tall, white marble structure rises up from the ground; this is Trajan\u2019s Column.<\/span><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lucius-romans\/files\/2017\/11\/Trajan-Blog-Figure-1-1.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lucius-romans\/files\/2017\/11\/Trajan-Blog-Figure-1-1-200x300.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-601\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lucius-romans\/files\/2017\/11\/Trajan-Blog-Figure-1-1-200x300.png 200w, https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lucius-romans\/files\/2017\/11\/Trajan-Blog-Figure-1-1-768x1152.png 768w, https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lucius-romans\/files\/2017\/11\/Trajan-Blog-Figure-1-1-683x1024.png 683w, https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lucius-romans\/files\/2017\/11\/Trajan-Blog-Figure-1-1-660x990.png 660w, https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lucius-romans\/files\/2017\/11\/Trajan-Blog-Figure-1-1.png 898w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ffffff\">Figure 1: Trajan\u2019s Column as viewed from the North side. Image by the author.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ffffff\">Just over thirty-eight metres high, it is one of the many ancient monuments that stand in Rome\u2019s urban centre, striking for both its size and the intricate carved frieze that spirals up its exterior.  Consecrated in 113CE,  the Column was erected alongside the rest of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ancient.eu\/trajan\/\">Trajan\u2019s<\/a> Markets and Forum.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #ffffff\">It comprises of twenty-nine blocks of Luna marble, most likely positioned using complex systems of pulleys and scaffolding (National Geographic provides a basic visual reconstruction <a href=\"https:\/\/video.nationalgeographic.com\/video\/magazine\/150315-ngm-building-trajans-column?source=relatedvideo\">here.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ffffff\">What we regard as Trajan\u2019s Column today is drastically different to that which was originally perceived in antiquity. Foremost, it was not designed to stand alone. As one element of Trajan\u2019s Markets and Forum, the Column would have been flanked by the Latin and Greek libraries, the Ulpian Basilica, and the Temple of Trajan.<\/span>  <\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ffffff\">One definite aesthetic difference to the original appearance of Trajan\u2019s Column is that the frieze would have been colourfully decorated in antiquity, regardless of whether it was Trajan or Hadrian that commissioned the frieze. This changes its regal white appearance to one that might have been a little too gaudy for the modern viewer\u2019s taste (see <a href=\"http:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lucius-romans\/2016\/10\/15\/ancient-statues-show-their-true-colours\/\">here<\/a> for an in-depth discussion of colour on ancient sculptures).  Due to over two thousand years of weathering, these colours have unsurprisingly faded away. It has only been through recent research that traces of colour have been rediscovered on Trajan\u2019s Column.<\/span> <\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ffffff\">Through time, its appearance has continued to change within the transient environment of the city of Rome. Nominal graffiti has been added by those who worked on it for restorative or archaeological purposes in the nineteenth and early twentieth century.  During the fifteenth century, a statue of St. Peter replaced the colossal statue of Trajan that originally stood atop the Column.<\/span><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lucius-romans\/files\/2017\/11\/trajan-blog-fig-3.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lucius-romans\/files\/2017\/11\/trajan-blog-fig-3-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-604\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lucius-romans\/files\/2017\/11\/trajan-blog-fig-3-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lucius-romans\/files\/2017\/11\/trajan-blog-fig-3-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lucius-romans\/files\/2017\/11\/trajan-blog-fig-3-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lucius-romans\/files\/2017\/11\/trajan-blog-fig-3-200x133.jpg 200w, https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lucius-romans\/files\/2017\/11\/trajan-blog-fig-3-660x440.jpg 660w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ffffff\">Figure 2: The statue of St. Peter on top of Trajan\u2019s Column, viewed from the North West side. Image by the author.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ffffff\">Additionally, lichens and fungus spores that previously thrived in micro-fractures in the marble of the monument have receded due to high traffic pollution levels in the city.  These used to give the Column a more noticeable yellowish hue.  Now instead Trajan\u2019s Column faces erosive carbonic pollution comparable to that which irrevocably damaged the Arch of Septimius Severus.<\/span><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lucius-romans\/files\/2017\/11\/trajan-blog-fig-4-2.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lucius-romans\/files\/2017\/11\/trajan-blog-fig-4-2-300x169.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-605\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lucius-romans\/files\/2017\/11\/trajan-blog-fig-4-2-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lucius-romans\/files\/2017\/11\/trajan-blog-fig-4-2-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lucius-romans\/files\/2017\/11\/trajan-blog-fig-4-2-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lucius-romans\/files\/2017\/11\/trajan-blog-fig-4-2-660x371.jpg 660w, https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lucius-romans\/files\/2017\/11\/trajan-blog-fig-4-2.jpg 1188w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ffffff\">Figure 3: (left) Evidence of circular erosion where lichens and fungus spores once settled on the Column. (right) Pollution damage on the Arch of Septimius Severus. Images by the author.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ffffff\">So what was the ancient purpose of this monumental Column? And what is its purpose today?<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #ffffff\">Its frieze depicts the First and Second Dacian Wars in over two hundred metres of continuous pictorial narrative, built with the gold taken from Dacia during these conflicts.  The Dacian spolia and the portrayal of Dacian barbarians on the Column verify that the narrative is focussed on the Dacian wars.  Today, the images on the frieze are favourable for research into Roman military equipment and practice at that time.<\/span><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lucius-romans\/files\/2017\/11\/trajan-column-fig-5.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lucius-romans\/files\/2017\/11\/trajan-column-fig-5-300x152.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"152\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-606\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lucius-romans\/files\/2017\/11\/trajan-column-fig-5-300x152.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lucius-romans\/files\/2017\/11\/trajan-column-fig-5-768x388.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lucius-romans\/files\/2017\/11\/trajan-column-fig-5-1024x518.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lucius-romans\/files\/2017\/11\/trajan-column-fig-5-660x334.jpg 660w, https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lucius-romans\/files\/2017\/11\/trajan-column-fig-5.jpg 1480w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ffffff\">Figure 4: Depictions of Dacians on Trajan\u2019s Column. Image by the author.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ffffff\">The Column was, and still is, an interactive monument.  The spiralling frieze forces the onlooker into a pattern of anticlockwise circumambulation if they wish to attempt to read its narrative.  This kind of experiential architecture is similar to that of <a href=\"http:\/\/romereborn.frischerconsulting.com\/ge\/TM-004-PA.html\">Hadrian\u2019s Mausoleum<\/a>,   and has an element of ritual meaning; Roman funerary monuments were typically designed to engage the viewer like this.  In circling the monument, the onlooker subconsciously pays tribute to the late Trajan who is buried in the base.  The Column immortalises him not only through its inscription and narrative frieze, but also through its very existence. Experiencing physical structures in ancient Rome was essential to Roman memory; by creating a monument, one would remind those passing of one\u2019s life and achievements.<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lucius-romans\/files\/2017\/11\/trajan-coloumn-fig-7.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lucius-romans\/files\/2017\/11\/trajan-coloumn-fig-7-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-607\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lucius-romans\/files\/2017\/11\/trajan-coloumn-fig-7-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lucius-romans\/files\/2017\/11\/trajan-coloumn-fig-7-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lucius-romans\/files\/2017\/11\/trajan-coloumn-fig-7-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lucius-romans\/files\/2017\/11\/trajan-coloumn-fig-7-200x133.jpg 200w, https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lucius-romans\/files\/2017\/11\/trajan-coloumn-fig-7-660x440.jpg 660w, https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lucius-romans\/files\/2017\/11\/trajan-coloumn-fig-7.jpg 1450w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ffffff\">Figure 5: Hadrian\u2019s Mausoleum, today more commonly known as Castel Sant\u2019Angelo. Image by the author.<\/span><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lucius-romans\/files\/2017\/11\/trajan-column-fig-8.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lucius-romans\/files\/2017\/11\/trajan-column-fig-8-300x213.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"213\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-608\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lucius-romans\/files\/2017\/11\/trajan-column-fig-8-300x213.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lucius-romans\/files\/2017\/11\/trajan-column-fig-8-768x545.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lucius-romans\/files\/2017\/11\/trajan-column-fig-8-660x468.jpg 660w, https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lucius-romans\/files\/2017\/11\/trajan-column-fig-8.jpg 865w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ffffff\">Figure 6: The pedestal of Trajan\u2019s Column, viewed from the North East side. Image by the author.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #ffffff\">In addition to the ritual purpose of the frieze, its narrative acts as promotion for the power of Trajan,  offering us a romanticised historical account of the Dacian Wars.  In particular, the size of the structure acts as a symbol of Trajan\u2019s power and influence. Bystanders were expected to scrutinise the Column from close quarters, since the buildings surrounding it would have prevented a view from afar, like that which we have today. The restricted vertical perspective would have made the height of Trajan\u2019s Column astonishing: a proposition of the supremacy that Trajan had as emperor.  As a part of Trajan\u2019s Forum and Markets, the Column acted as a reminder of how fruitful Trajan\u2019s conquests had been, suggesting that his military action was worthwhile.<\/span>    <\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ffffff\">The version of Trajan that the Column commemorates is decisively idealised. The narrative focuses on his nobility as a leader, depicting \u2018scenes of travel, construction, adlocutio, submission and sacrifice\u2019 rather than the harsh realities of warfare.  Trajan himself appears almost sixty times on the frieze, often overseeing military action rather than partaking, signifying his higher authority over his troops.  His enlarged figure links him subliminally with the gods; often deities were portrayed as larger than mortals in ancient sculpture and artistry.<\/span><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lucius-romans\/files\/2017\/11\/trajan-blog-fig-10-2.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lucius-romans\/files\/2017\/11\/trajan-blog-fig-10-2-300x169.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-609\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lucius-romans\/files\/2017\/11\/trajan-blog-fig-10-2-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lucius-romans\/files\/2017\/11\/trajan-blog-fig-10-2-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lucius-romans\/files\/2017\/11\/trajan-blog-fig-10-2-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lucius-romans\/files\/2017\/11\/trajan-blog-fig-10-2-660x371.jpg 660w, https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lucius-romans\/files\/2017\/11\/trajan-blog-fig-10-2.jpg 1421w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ffffff\">Figure 7: Trajan overseeing military activities in two different scenes. Images by the author.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #ffffff\">Here, the monument also acts in a triumphal manner, suggesting that Trajan was worthy of deification due to his noble victories in war.  The appearance of Victory with spolia at the end of the narrative on the First Dacian War, along with the spolia adorning the pedestal, support the idea that Trajan\u2019s Column was, at least partially, a triumphal monument.  This triumphal purpose of the monument can be attributed to Hadrian if he added the frieze, but, as discussed earlier, we do not have enough ancient evidence to know for certain.<\/span><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lucius-romans\/files\/2017\/11\/trajan-blog-fig-11.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lucius-romans\/files\/2017\/11\/trajan-blog-fig-11-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-612\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lucius-romans\/files\/2017\/11\/trajan-blog-fig-11-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lucius-romans\/files\/2017\/11\/trajan-blog-fig-11-768x513.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lucius-romans\/files\/2017\/11\/trajan-blog-fig-11-200x133.jpg 200w, https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lucius-romans\/files\/2017\/11\/trajan-blog-fig-11-660x441.jpg 660w, https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lucius-romans\/files\/2017\/11\/trajan-blog-fig-11.jpg 839w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ffffff\">Figure 8:  the Dacian spolia on the pedestal of Trajan\u2019s Column. Image by the author.<\/span><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lucius-romans\/files\/2017\/11\/trajan-blog-fig-12.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lucius-romans\/files\/2017\/11\/trajan-blog-fig-12-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-613\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lucius-romans\/files\/2017\/11\/trajan-blog-fig-12-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lucius-romans\/files\/2017\/11\/trajan-blog-fig-12-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lucius-romans\/files\/2017\/11\/trajan-blog-fig-12-200x133.jpg 200w, https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lucius-romans\/files\/2017\/11\/trajan-blog-fig-12-660x440.jpg 660w, https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lucius-romans\/files\/2017\/11\/trajan-blog-fig-12.jpg 857w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ffffff\">Figure 9: Victory with spolia on Trajan\u2019s Column. Image by the author.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ffffff\">As both an honorific sepulchre and a political display of power and conquest, Trajan\u2019s Column was so efficacious that Marcus Aurelius and Antoninus Pius both erected comparable dedicatory monuments.  Marcus Aurelius\u2019 even contains some identical narrative to that on Trajan\u2019s Column, emphasising the powerful influence that ancient monuments could have.<\/span><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lucius-romans\/files\/2017\/11\/trajan-blog-fig-13.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lucius-romans\/files\/2017\/11\/trajan-blog-fig-13-200x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-615\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lucius-romans\/files\/2017\/11\/trajan-blog-fig-13-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lucius-romans\/files\/2017\/11\/trajan-blog-fig-13-768x1152.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lucius-romans\/files\/2017\/11\/trajan-blog-fig-13-683x1024.jpg 683w, https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lucius-romans\/files\/2017\/11\/trajan-blog-fig-13-660x990.jpg 660w, https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lucius-romans\/files\/2017\/11\/trajan-blog-fig-13.jpg 1824w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ffffff\">Fig 10: The column of Marcus Aurelius. Image by the author. See <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bluffton.edu\/homepages\/facstaff\/sullivanm\/romanpius\/romanpius.html\">here<\/a> for contextualised images of Antoninus Pius\u2019 Column.<\/span><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lucius-romans\/files\/2017\/11\/trajan-column-blog-fig-14-2.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lucius-romans\/files\/2017\/11\/trajan-column-blog-fig-14-2-300x148.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"148\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-616\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lucius-romans\/files\/2017\/11\/trajan-column-blog-fig-14-2-300x148.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lucius-romans\/files\/2017\/11\/trajan-column-blog-fig-14-2-768x380.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lucius-romans\/files\/2017\/11\/trajan-column-blog-fig-14-2-1024x506.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lucius-romans\/files\/2017\/11\/trajan-column-blog-fig-14-2-660x326.jpg 660w, https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lucius-romans\/files\/2017\/11\/trajan-column-blog-fig-14-2.jpg 1418w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ffffff\">Fig 11: Two almost identical scenes involving the River Danube personified on the Column of Marcus Aurelius (left) and Trajan\u2019s Column (right). Images by the author<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ffffff\">Moving past Trajan\u2019s Column today, one must consider how it contributes to the living history that exists in Rome. Many people have ambled by it, so that it has not only one, but multiple biographies that define it.  The political and cultural observations made about Trajan\u2019s Column will continue to change for locals, academics, and tourists alike. This temporal shift is ungovernable, and unavoidable. Yet when one is cognizant of the transient nature of the Column as a monument, then it is evident that its impact on the city of Rome will still be debated, reanalysed, and respected in years to come.<\/span> <\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ffffff\">Further Information<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #ffffff\">On Roman history before Trajan see:<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #ffffff\">Smith, W. (1966). A smaller history of Rome from the earliest times to the death of Trajan. London: John Murray.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #ffffff\">For an interactive look at the frieze see <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nationalgeographic.com\/trajan-column\/index.html\">here<\/a>. If you ever have the opportunity to visit Rome, le Domus Romane provides an excellent graphical reproduction of Trajan\u2019s Column during their archaeological tour of a Roman villa. It discusses the narrative on the frieze while amplifying how intricate the artwork really was. Their website is <a href=\"http:\/\/www.palazzovalentini.it\/domus-romane\/index-en.html\">here<\/a>.<br \/>\nFor those interested in the archaeology of the site, Packer (2001) provides a large, aerial view map of the archaeological site of Trajan\u2019s Forum and Market, as well as several detailed reconstructions of the area.<\/span> <\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ffffff\">Bibliography<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #ffffff\">Ancient Sources<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #ffffff\">Aurelius Victor, De Caesaribus, (tr.) H. W. Bird. Liverpool: Liverpool University Press, 1994.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #ffffff\">Cassius Dio, Roman History, (tr.) H. B. Foster. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2014.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #ffffff\">Eutropius, breviarium ab urbe condita, (tr.) H. W. Bird. Liverpool: Liverpool University Press, 1993.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #ffffff\">Modern Sources<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #ffffff\">Beckmann, M. (2002), \u2018The Columnae Coc(h)lides of Trajan and Marcus Aurelius\u2019, Phoenix 56:3, pp.348-357.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #ffffff\">&#8212;&#8212;(2011), The Column of Marcus Aurelius: the genesis and meaning of a Roman imperial monument. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #ffffff\">&#8212;&#8212;(2016), \u2018Trajan\u2019s Column and Mars Ultor\u2019, Journal of Roman Studies 106, pp.124-146.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #ffffff\">Bennet, J. (2001), Trajan: Optimus Princeps: a life and times. London; New York: Routledge.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #ffffff\">Birley, A. R. and Tubb, J. N. (1999). Septimius Severus. London: Routledge.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #ffffff\">Bradley, M. (2009), \u2018The Importance of Colour on Ancient Marble Sculpture\u2019, Art History 32:3, pp.427-457.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #ffffff\">Calcini, G. and Abulkarim, M. (2003), \u2018Apollodorus of Damascus and Trajan\u2019s Column: From Tradition to Project\u2019, Latomus 61, pp.666-695.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #ffffff\">Claridge, A. (1993), \u2018Hadrian\u2019s Column of Trajan\u2019, Journal of Roman Archaeology 6, pp.5-22.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #ffffff\">&#8212;&#8212;(2011), \u2018Looking for Colour on Greek and Roman Sculpture\u2019, Journal of Art Historiography 5, pp.1-6.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #ffffff\">Coulston, J. C. (1988), Trajan\u2019s Column: The Sculpting and Relief Content of a Roman Propaganda Monument. Newcastle: Newcastle University. PhD thesis.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #ffffff\">&#8212;&#8212;(1989), \u2018The Value of Trajan\u2019s Column as a Source for Military Equipment\u2019 in van Driel-Murray (ed.) Roman Military Equipment: The Sources of Evidence. Proceedings of the Fifth Roman Military Conference BAR International Series 476, pp.31-44. <\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #ffffff\">&#8212;&#8212;(2016), \u2018Trajan\u2019s Column\u2019 in S. Hornblower, A. Spawforth and E. Eidinow (eds.) Oxford Classical Dictionary. Oxford: Oxford University Press.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #ffffff\">Davies, G. A. T. (1917), \u2018Trajan\u2019s First Dacian War\u2019, The Journal of Roman Studies 7, pp.74-97.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #ffffff\">Davies, P. J. E. (1997), \u2018The Politics of Perpetuation: Trajan\u2019s Column and the Art of Commemoration\u2019, American Journal of Philology 101:1, pp.41-65.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #ffffff\">&#8212;&#8212;(2000), Death and the emperor: Roman imperial funerary monuments, from Augustus to Marcus Aurelius. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #ffffff\">Del Monte, M. (1991), \u2018Trajan\u2019s Column: Lichens don\u2019t live here anymore\u2019, Endeavour 15:2, pp.86-93.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #ffffff\">&#8212;&#8212;(1998), \u2018Traces of Ancient Colour on Trajan\u2019s Column\u2019, Archaeometry 40:2, pp.403-412.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #ffffff\">Dillon, S. and Welch, K. (2006), Representations of War in Ancient Rome. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #ffffff\">Frere, S. and Lepper, F. (1988), Trajan\u2019s Column. Gloucester: Alan Sutton Publishing.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #ffffff\">Hamburg, G. (1945), \u2018The Columns of Trajan and Marcus Aurelius and their Narrative Treatment: the Epic-Documentary Tradition in the State Reliefs\u2019 in G. Hamburg (ed.) Studies in Roman Imperial Art, with Special Reference to the State Reliefs of the Second Century. Copenhagen: Ejnar Munksgaard, pp.104-161.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #ffffff\">H\u00f6lscher, T. (2004), The Language of Images in Roman Art. Trans. Snodgrass, A. and K\u00fcnzl-Snodgrass, A. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #ffffff\">Hope, V. (1997), \u2018Constructing Roman identity: Funerary monuments and social structure in the Roman world\u2019, Mortality 2:2, pp.103-121.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #ffffff\">Jockey, P. (2014), \u2018The rediscovery of the gilding and the colours of Greek ancient sculpture\u2019, Revue arch\u00e9ologique 2, pp.355-378.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #ffffff\">Koeppel, G. M. (1980), \u2018A Military Itinerarium on the Column of Trajan: Scene L\u2019, Mitteilungen des Deutschen Arch\u00e4ologischen Instituts. R\u00f6mische Abteilung 87, pp.301-306.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #ffffff\">Lancaster, L. (1999), \u2018Building Trajan\u2019s Column\u2019, American Journal of Archaeology 103:3, pp.419-439.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #ffffff\">Meneghini, R. (1989), \u2018Roma-Ricerche nel Foro di Traiano-Basilica Ulpia: un esempio di sopravvivenza di strutture antiche in et\u00e0 medievale\u2019, Archeologia Medievale 16, pp.541-555.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #ffffff\">Packer, J. E. (1993), \u2018The West Library in the Forum of Trajan: The Architectural Problem and Some Solutions\u2019, Studies in the History of Art 43, pp.420-444.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #ffffff\">&#8212;&#8212;(2001), The Forum of Trajan in Rome: a study of the monuments in brief. Berkeley, CA; London: University of California Press.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #ffffff\">Poulter, A. G. (1992), \u2018Trajan\u2019s Column and the Dacian Wars\u2019, Britannica 23, pp.331-333.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #ffffff\">Rossi, L. (1971), Trajan\u2019s column and the Dacian wars. Ithaca: Cornell University Press.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #ffffff\">Schmitz, M. (2005), The Dacian Threat. Armidale, New South Wales: Caeros Publishing.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #ffffff\">Stephenson, J. W. (2013), \u2018The Column of Trajan in the light of ancient cartography and geography\u2019, Journal of Historical Geography 40, pp.79-93.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #ffffff\">Thill, E. W. (2011), \u2018Depicting barbarism on fire: architectural destruction on the Columns of Trajan and Marcus Aurelius\u2019, Journal of Roman Archaeology 24, pp.283-312.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #ffffff\">Vogel, L. (1971), The Column of Antoninus Pius. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #ffffff\">Wilson Jones, M. (1993), \u2018One Hundred Feet and a Spiral Stair: Designing Trajan\u2019s Column\u2019, Journal of Roman Architecture 6, pp.23-38.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #ffffff\">&#8212;&#8212;(2003), \u2018Trajan\u2019s Column\u2019 in M. Wilson Jones (ed.) Principles of Roman Architecture. New Haven: Yale University Press, pp.161-176.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #ffffff\">Web Sites<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #ffffff\">Cartwright, M. (2013). The Arch of Constantine, Rome [Online]. Ancient History Encyclopaedia. Available from: http:\/\/www.ancient.eu\/article\/497\/ [Accessed 20th February 2017].<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #ffffff\">&#8212;&#8212;(2013). The Arch of Septimius Severus, Rome [Online]. ]. Ancient History Encyclopaedia. Available from: http:\/\/www.ancient.eu\/article\/502\/ [Accessed 20th February 2017].<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #ffffff\">&#8212;&#8212;(2013). The Arch of Titus, Rome [Online]. Ancient History Encyclopaedia. Available from: http:\/\/www.ancient.eu\/article\/499\/ [Accessed 20th February 2017].<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #ffffff\">&#8212;&#8212;(2014). The Column of Marcus Aurelius [Online]. Ancient History Encyclopaedia. Available from: http:\/\/www.ancient.eu\/article\/647\/  [Accessed 20th February 2017].<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #ffffff\">History (n.d.). Deconstructing History: Colosseum [Online]. Available from: http:\/\/www.history.com\/topics\/ancient-history\/colosseum [Accessed 18th February 2017].<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #ffffff\">Le Domus Romane di Palazzo Valentini (n.d.). [Online]. Available from: http:\/\/www.palazzovalentini.it\/domus-romane\/index-en.html  [Accessed 18th February 2017].<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #ffffff\">Lucius\u2019 Romans (n.d.). Ancient statues show their true colours [Online]. Available from: http:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lucius-romans\/2016\/10\/15\/ancient-statues-show-their-true-colours\/ [Accessed 10th February 2017].<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #ffffff\">MacGregor, N. (2011). 2600 years of history in one object [Online]. TedGlobal. Available from: https:\/\/www.ted.com\/talks\/neil_macgregor_2600_years_of_history_in_one_object [Accessed  7th February 2017].<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #ffffff\">National Geographic (n.d.). How a Mysterious, Ancient Roman Monument Was Built [Online]. Available from: http:\/\/video.nationalgeographic.com\/video\/magazine\/150315-ngm-building-trajans-column?source=relatedvideo [Accessed 10th February 2017].<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #ffffff\">&#8212;&#8212;(n.d.). Reading an Ancient Comic Strip [Online]. http:\/\/www.nationalgeographic.com\/trajan-column\/index.html [Accessed on 20th February 2017].<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #ffffff\">Packer, J. (n.d.). The Theater of Pompey [Online]. The Pompey Project: King\u2019s Visualisation Lab. Available from: http:\/\/pompey.cch.kcl.ac.uk\/ [Accessed 20th February 2017].<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #ffffff\">Rome Reborn (n.d.). [Online]. Available from: http:\/\/romereborn.frischerconsulting.com\/ge\/TM-004-PA.html [Accessed 20th February 2017].<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #ffffff\">Sullivan, M. A. (n.d.) Base of the column of Antoninus Pius, Vatican Museum [Online]. Available from: http:\/\/www.bluffton.edu\/homepages\/facstaff\/sullivanm\/romanpius\/romanpius.html [Accessed 24th February 2017].<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #ffffff\">The Life and Death of Via dei Fori Imperiali: 1932-2015 (2015). [Online]. Available from: http:\/\/romeonrome.com\/2015\/02\/the-life-and-death-of-via-dei-fori-imperiali-1932-2015\/ [Accessed 20th February 2017].<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #ffffff\">Understanding Italy (n.d.). Altare Della Patria [Online]. Available from: http:\/\/www.understandingitaly.com\/lazio-content\/altare-della-patria.html [Accessed 12th February 2017].<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #ffffff\">Wasson, D. L. (2013). Trajan [Online]. Ancient History Encyclopaedia. Available from: http:\/\/www.ancient.eu\/trajan\/ [Accessed 7th February 2017].<\/span>  <\/p>\n<ul class=\"kent-social-links\"><li><a href='http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lucius-romans\/2017\/11\/13\/trajans-column-then-and-now\/&amp;t=Trajan's Column: then and now' target='_blank'><i class='ksocial-facebook' title='Share via Facebook'><\/i><\/a><\/li><li><a href='http:\/\/twitter.com\/home?status=Trajan's Column: then and now%20https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lucius-romans\/2017\/11\/13\/trajans-column-then-and-now\/' target='_blank'><i class='ksocial-twitter' title='Share via Twitter'><\/i><\/a><\/li><li><a href='https:\/\/plus.google.com\/share?url=https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lucius-romans\/2017\/11\/13\/trajans-column-then-and-now\/' target='_blank'><i class='ksocial-google-plus' title='Share via Google Plus'><\/i><\/a><\/li><li><a href='http:\/\/linkedin.com\/shareArticle?mini=true&amp;url=https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lucius-romans\/2017\/11\/13\/trajans-column-then-and-now\/&amp;title=Trajan's Column: then and now' target='_blank'><i class='ksocial-linkedin' title='Share via Linked In'><\/i><\/a><\/li><li><a href='mailto:content=https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lucius-romans\/2017\/11\/13\/trajans-column-then-and-now\/&amp;title=Trajan's Column: then and now' target='_blank'><i class='ksocial-email' title='Share via Email'><\/i><\/a><\/li><\/ul>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This month&#8217;s blog post is by Hayley Bradley, a postgraduate alumnus of the University of Kent. She is about to&hellip; <a class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lucius-romans\/2017\/11\/13\/trajans-column-then-and-now\/\">Read more <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Trajan&#8217;s Column: then and now<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":50875,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18592,181572,152666],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lucius-romans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/599"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lucius-romans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lucius-romans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lucius-romans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/50875"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lucius-romans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=599"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lucius-romans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/599\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":667,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lucius-romans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/599\/revisions\/667"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lucius-romans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=599"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lucius-romans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=599"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/lucius-romans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=599"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}