FACTS ABOUT TRAJAN’S COLUMN

Trajan was the emperor at the time of Rome’s greatest extent (98-117 A.D.)

Trajan’s Column was built to commemorate his victories over the Dacian tribe (in modern day Romania).

The Column was built by Apollodorus of Damascus. It was placed in Trajan’s Forum in Rome. It is about 38m. In height including the base and is made of 29

blocks of Carrara marble, each weighing about 40 tonnes. It is most famous for its frieze in bas-relief (shallow carving)

which is almost 200m. long, winding up the column 23 times. Originally the column was topped with an eagle, but later this

was replaced with a statue of Trajan. The relief sculpture shows Trajan’s victory over the Dacians and

is a hugely important source of information about the Roman Army.

The carving shows us the weapons and armour of the soldiers, their building materials and techniques, their siege tactics and defensive tactics.

There are about 2,500 figures shown. Trajan appears himself 59 times, he is always shown as larger and grander than everyone else.

There is little attention to perspective as the designer was trying, above all, to tell a story,so you often get several perspectives in the same scene (like the painting of the Nucerian riots in Pompeii).