Trajan's Column in Rome Trajan's Column in Rome
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Images of Trajan in Situ (SE)

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

 

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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 25/XXV: Trajan inspects the occupation of a Dacian fort, while Dacians flee towards the right. In the foreground, Roman soldiers set fire to wooden buildings built upon vertical piles. The walls of the fort are protected by pits filled with sharpened spikes (lilia). Along the fortification walls skulls have been placed on poles, perhaps the remains of Roman soldiers from earlier campaigns - the unsuccessful forays by Domitian? (Coarelli 2000: 69). From a cast now in the Museo della Civiltà Romana, Rome. Compare Cichorius Pl. XX (Scene 25) and Coarelli Pl. 25. Ref: RBU 2011.6993. Scene 61/LXI: Trajan, surrounded by four senior officers (the two behind him wear helmets) receives a Dacian nobleman outside the walls of a Roman fort. Coarelli suggests that the two bare-headed officers are meant to represent Licinius Sura and the Praetorian Prefect Claudius Livianus (2000: 106). From cast 147, now in the Museo della Civiltà Romana, Rome. Compare Cichorius Pl. XLII, scene 61 and Coarelli Pl. 62. RBU2011.7136. Scene 85/LXXXV (Detail): A victimarius leads a bull to sacrifice. From cast 222, now in the Museo della Civiltà Romana, Rome. Compare Cichorius Pl. LXII (Scene 85) and Coarelli Pl. 98. RBU2011.8095. Scenes 134-135/CXXXIV-CXXXV (detail): A Dacian warrior (left) falls back from the walls of a Roman camp after a failed attempt to scale the fortifications. Another pileate Dacian, probably Decebalus himself, watches from a distance (right). This is one of <a href="http://www.trajans-column.org/?page_id=866">six scenes</a> that are thought to represent the Dacian king. The tall tree between the two groups is considered a scene-divider by Cichorius. From casts 357-361, now in the Museo della Civiltà Romana, Rome. Compare Cichorius Pl. XCIX, scenes 134-135 and Coarelli Pl. 161. Ref: RBU2011.8269-134-5 Parallel Stereograph of Scene 40/XL. RBU2012.1000110-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): Trajan's first sacrifice in front of a Roman camp (Scene 8). Compare Cichorius Pl. X and Coarelli Pl. 8. 2. (Middle, top and bottom): Trajan sacrifices before a group of Romans and Dacians (Scene 91). Compare Cichorius Pl. LXVI and Coarelli Pl. 106. 3. (Right, top and bottom): Trajan makes an inaugural sacrifice in front of the bridge built over the Danube (Scene 99). Compare Cichorius Pl. LXXII and Coarelli Pl. 118. Images from casts in the Museo della Civiltà Romana. (Photos by Ulrich; Image Grid by Z. Mei). Latin inscription on the southeast side of the pedestal of the Column of Trajan, as reproduced in 1752 by Morelli. Morelli 1752 Scene 40: Detail of Roman ballistics, on the tops of casts nos. 104-105. Compare to Cichorius Pl. XXXI. From the original publication of 1865; Ref: F-D-40det.

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