Trajan’s Column: A Roman Victory Monument
Trajan’s Column
Composition
The frieze is not monotone. The sculptor changes the rhythm. Movement and dynamism are present throughout the work, and its intensity changes according to the episode. The incidence of the projected light produces shadows of varying intensity. In the various scenes, using a high point of view lets you see more. The depth is limited. There are many allusions made to the environment, although not in an undersized manner.
The Work’s Style and Correlation with its Historical Content
Trajan, a native of Italica, was succeeded by Nerva, his adoptive father. Nerva scarcely had time to build in Rome, but in the twenty-year rule of Trajan, the empire was filled with magnificent buildings.
Trajan’s Column, in Imperial art, like the Arch of Benevento, was constructed in 114 AD to commemorate the government. Reliefs decorate the exterior walls, and the bottom of the arch is enshrined in scenes to perpetuate the glory of Trajan. The emperor is always represented peacefully. There is a relief in which the three Capitoline deities, Jupiter, Juno, and Minerva, are represented. Trajan’s Column arose at the foot of the great Capitol Forum for the glorification of the military and in memory of his Dacian campaigns.
Examples of Scenes on Trajan’s Column
- Scene: Barbarian MPs in the presence of Trajan. It presents a group of parliamentarians of barbarians in the presence of Emperor Trajan.
- Scene: The Romans attacked by barbarians. Dacian troops threaten the Roman camp from the front and right. The Romans in the camp launch projectiles from the top of the wall.
- Scene: Victory writing on a shield. The victory of the Dacian army is marked with an image of Aphrodite of Capua, who writes on a shield the triumph of Trajan.
Introduction
- Author: Constructed by a number of sculptors, it was probably under the direction of Apollodorus of Damascus.
- Imperial Era: Under the command of Emperor Trajan (Rome, 113 AD).
- Location: Between the Greek and Roman libraries and behind the Basilica Ulpia.
- Function: It is a monument of clear political propaganda, celebrating the victory of the Emperor of Rome.
Technical Aspects and Materials
It is a triumphal column 29.78 meters high. It stands on a cubic pedestal decorated with military trophies and inscriptions. A small chamber was used to keep the ashes of the emperor. The column is hollow in order to place a ladder for access to the inside. The shaft was finished off with an eagle statue, which was replaced by one of Emperor Trajan. Trajan’s Column is a complex monument, made of twenty-nine marble blocks. It was topped with a bronze statue of the Emperor. The technique used is carving. The shaft consists of 17 drums. The band of reliefs has a height progressively greater as it approaches the capital. At present, there is no color in the reliefs; the frieze was polychrome and had inserted gilt bronze objects.
Theme and Purpose
In the forum or close by, there used to be honorable monuments: triumphal arches and triumphal columns. The column is of Hellenic architecture. They got up on a pedestal and sometimes had an internal staircase that served for climbing; on top was placed a sculpture. Another type is the Rostral Column, erected to commemorate a naval victory. The historical reliefs are of this type. The relief tells of two successful campaigns of Trajan against the Dacians. Emperor Trajan is represented more than sixty times in the scenes. In the interior, the ashes of the emperor were deposited. The issue is the heading, jobs, fighting, and submission of the Dacians. It is also believed that there was a place for the ashes when the statue of the emperor was placed.