TRAJAN’S COLUMNAR TOMB The Column of Trajan was probably also the brainchild of Apollodorus of Damascus. The idea of covering the shaft of a colossal freestanding column with a continuous spiral narrative frieze seems to have been invented here, but it was often copied. As late as the 19th century, a column inspired by the Column of Trajan was erected in the Place Vendome in Paris in commemoration of the victories of Napoleon. The type even appeared in Christian settings with reliefs illustrating the life of Christ. Trajan’s column is 128 feet high. Coins indicate that it was once topped by a heroically nude statue of the emperor. Trajan’s portrait was lost in the Middle Ages, and in the 16th century a statue of Saint Peter replaced it. The square base, decorated with captured Dacian arms and armor, served as Trajan’s tomb. His ashes and those of his wife, Plotina, were placed inside it in golden urns. The 625-foot band that winds around the column has been likened to an illustrated scroll of the type housed in the neighboring libraries (and that Lars Pulena holds on his sarcophagus). The reliefs depict Trajan’s two successful campaigns against the Dacians. The story is told in more than 150 episodes in which some 2,500 figures appear. The band increases in width as it winds to the top of the column, so that it is easier to see the upper portions. Throughout, the relief is very low so as not to distort the contours of the shaft. Legibility was enhanced in antiquity by paint, but it still would have been very difficult for anyone to follow the narrative from beginning to end. Much of the spiral frieze is given over to easily recognizable compositions like those found on coin reverses and on historical relief panels: Trajan addressing his troops, sacrificing to the gods, and so on. The narrative is not a reliable chronological account of the Dacian Wars, as was once thought. The sculptors nonetheless accurately recorded the general character of the campaigns. Notably, battle scenes take up only about a quarter of the frieze. As is true of modern military operations, the Romans spent more time constructing forts, transporting men and equipment, and preparing for battle than fighting. The focus is always on the emperor, who appears again and again in the frieze, but the enemy is not belittled. The Romans won because of their superior organization and more powerful army, not because they were inherently superior beings.

 Column of Trajan, Forum of Trajan, Rome, Italy, dedicated 112 CE.