Trajan's Column in Rome Trajan's Column in Rome
The history, archaeology and iconography of the monument
Show Navigation Hide Navigation
  • Overview
  • Trajan’s Column
  • Portraiture of Trajan
  • Modern Scholarship
  • Primary Sources

Images of Trajan in Situ (SE)

Representations of Trajan on the southeast side of Trajan’s Column in Rome.

 

Back to the overall site index.

Back to “Portraiture of Trajan.”

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Image Galleries

Scenes 4/IV-5/V: Roman legionaries distinguished by the wearing of the <i>lorica segmentata</i> cross the River Danube on two parallel pontoon bridges (the second bridge is just visible on the right side of the image; this forms Cichorius's rather arbitrary division between the two scenes). Their helmets are attached to their right shoulders. Each carries his kit on a long javelin, or pilum. A simple pile bridge is visible at the top; this belongs to a construction scene, no. 12/XII. From the Column in situ. RBU2013.2025. Scene 24/XXIV: Detail of the first great battle scene. Roman allies on the left, Dacians on the right. Note the archer at the top of the relief, and the auxiliary who holds the severed head of a Dacian in his mouth (center right).From a cast now in the Museo della Civiltà Romana, Rome. Compare Cichorius Pl. XIX (Scene 24) and Coarelli Pl. 24. Ref: RBU2011.6985. Scene 50/L: Top spiral: Trajan receives a messenger above a scene of battle (corresponding to Cichorius Scenes 49-50). Lower spiral: Roman soldiers ride over fallen Dacians (corresponding to Cichorius secenes 40-41) . In the sky: a blurred moon on a clear November day. In situ, Trajan's Column, Rome RBU2013.3816 Scene 79/LXXIX: Trajan, standing in the middle of three ships and dressed in traveling clothes, directs his troops as they depart on ships at the beginning of the Second Dacian War. The presence of torches and a lamp on the middle ship suggest that the departure is by night (Lepper/Frere 1988: 129). Harbor buildings dominate the left side; these include temples and an arch crowned with standing male figures. The multi-arched building in the background of cast 208 may represent the boat sheds (navalia) that protected ships when ashore (Coarelli 2000: 137). The harbor is often identified as that of Ancona on the Adriatic coast of Italy (although there is disagreement; cf. Coarelli op. cit.: he suggests Brindisium). Scene 80: locals at the point of arrival (Perhaps Durres?; casts 212-213) greet Trajan and his men. A bull is being sacrificed at the top of cast 212. From casts 207-213, now in the Museo della Civiltà Romana, Rome. Compare Cichorius Pls. LVIII-LIX scenes 79-80 and Coarelli Pls. 93-94. RBU2011.8079-composite. Scene 147/CXLVII: A closer view of the assembly of soldiers and the display of the head of Decebalus. From casts 391-392, now in the Museo della Civiltà Romana, Rome. Compare Cichorius Pl. CVIII, scene 147 and Coarelli Pl. 173. Ref: RBU2011.8306. Parallel Stereograph of Scene 16/XVI: soldiers drag a log from a forest. RBU2012.1000105-p The visibility of Trajan's Column from distances today would have been impossible in antiquity when the Column was enclosed in a courtyard situated on the northwest side of the Basilica Ulpia. Ref: RBU1997.239 On the Column of Trajan, from left to right (profile top and side/three-quarter view bottom). 1. (Left, top and bottom): Adlocutio (Scene 10). Compare Cichorius Pl. XI and Coarelli Pl. 10. 2. (Middle, top and bottom): Trajan interrogates a Dacian prisoner (Scene 18); Compare Cichorius Pl. XIV and Coarelli Pl. 16. 3. (Right, top and bottom): Trajan is presented with severed Dacian heads (Scene 24); Compare Cichorius Pl. XVIII and Coarelli Pl. 22. Images from casts in the Museo della Civiltà Romana. (Photos by Ulrich; Image Grid by Z. Mei) View of the lower elements of Trajan's Column in Rome with detail of the base of the Column, northwest side. The lowest figural panel shows a scene of Roman ships being loaded along the shores of the Danube. Compare Cichorius Pl. IIIa. RBU2011.7804 Scene 66: Roman ballistae are set up on the walls of a fort (visible in the upper left) and among log-reinforced defenses. Compare Cichorius Plate XLVII. From the original publication of 1865; Ref: F-D-66b.

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries RSS
  • Comments RSS
  • WordPress.org

© 2019 Roger B. Ulrich

Powered by Pinboard Theme by One Designs and WordPress