Those who are going to go to Rome will definitely not be bored. There is something to see here, because tourists call an incredible number of attractions the main feature of the Italian capital. Listing the most interesting places in Rome is not an easy task.
General information
Here, literally on every corner, you can feel the breath of history, with which the lifestyle of modern residents and the wonderful aromas of local cuisine are organically intertwined. Rome is not only the capital of present-day Italy, but also the main city of an ancient and very powerful empire. Centuries-old stages of history have left an indelible mark on this land in the form of a huge number of monuments. It is they who attract millions of tourists here. One of the most beautiful and majestic sights of the city is Trajan's Column in Rome. It is located on the square of the same name. Not only an adornment of the Italian capital, but also a chronicle of all the most important military events taking place in the Roman Empire,serves as Trajan's Column in Rome. A photo, a description of this wonderful historical monument, interesting facts related to it - all this is presented in this article.
Trajan's Forum
After the death of this Roman ruler, an interesting tradition developed. Roman senators, in greeting each subsequent emperor, wished him "to be better than Trajan." This ruler was born in Spain. He is considered the greatest builder of Rome. It was he who built the cultural center of the city in the hope of strengthening his own popularity and becoming a true resident of the capital of the empire.
By that time, Rome already had five similar squares, but none could compete with Trajan's brainchild. It was larger than all of them put together. The architect of the Forum was Apollodorus, a Greek from the province. The rich booty that Rome received as a result of a campaign in Dacia allowed him to save on nothing. Apollodorus created the Forum as an "advertisement" for his emperor. The area was about two hundred meters long. It was adorned with statues and graceful galleries. There were also a market, courts and libraries. But the most important part of the Forum was Trajan's majestic column.
Photo, description
An amazing building dominated the entire square complex. Trajan's column was decorated with amazingly expressive bas-reliefs that told about the military victories of the Roman emperor, in particular about the campaigns of his army during the crossing of the Danube, the seizure of the territory of present-day Romania, etc. Today, it also proudly towers over the ruins of the Forum, and its foundations can be seenthe tomb of Ulpius Trajan himself and his wife.
Twenty huge blocks of the famous Carrara marble were brought to Rome to build this amazing monument.
Trajan's Column has a very impressive size: thirty-eight meters high and weighs forty tons. From the inside it is hollow. It has only a spiral staircase that leads to a platform built on the capitals.
Amazing monument of ancient civilization
It must be said that the monument on the column changed several times. At first, an eagle towered on the capitals, then a sculpture of Trajan himself, and only in the sixteenth century did the Apostle Peter standing in full growth appear here. It is his image that adorns the column today. On the relief ribbon, which runs along the entire trunk of the structure, you can see fragments from two battles between the emperor and the Dacians. In total, it depicts two and a half thousand human figures, among which Trajan himself is repeated many times. In addition to them, on the relief you can see Nike - the goddess of victory, as well as the Danube - the majestic old man - and other allegorical characters.
History of Creation
Trajan's Column was built in honor of the Roman emperor, who made a dizzying career. He started as a simple legionnaire and reached the ruler of one of the most powerful states. Thanks to this talented commander and reformer, the territory of the Roman Empire was significantly increased. And the state itself has significantly strengthened itsinfluence.
In addition to conducting an active foreign policy and building fortresses, this Roman emperor built bridges, aqueducts and other civil structures. The last ancient Roman forum was built in his honor. Unlike the five previous ones, it was an extensive display of the emperor's victories and weapons.
Features of the structure
Visually Trajan's triumphal column is divided into three parts. First, on the base - a pedestal, then on the directly central part and on the upper one protruding beyond its limits - a capital. The column is about four meters in diameter.
The monument is made of the most valuable variety of Carrara marble. For its construction, twenty blocks were used, which were installed in such a way that a cavity formed in the internal space. It contains a spiral staircase of one hundred and eighty-five steps leading to a platform built on capitals. Sunlight enters the column through small windows, more like loopholes.
The exterior of the building is covered with a ribbed ribbon that spirals up to its top. The images made on it tell about the episodes of the military campaign of Emperor Trajan. The bas-relief goes around the stem part of the column twenty-three times. Its total length is one hundred and ninety meters.
There is a hall at the base. Urns with the ashes of Emperor Trajan and his wife Pompeii Plotina are buried here. And on the pedestal, an inscription has been preserved to this day, which scientists consider to be a sample of the Roman font.
Images
Trajan's Column in Rome, a photo of which every tourist takes with him, is of particular historical value. Her bas-reliefs so vividly and capaciously convey the episodes of the war of the Romans against the Dacians that they simply amaze with the skill of execution.
The column shows the events of two campaigns of Trajan. On the ribbon, they are visually separated from each other by the winged goddess of Victory, who writes the name of the victor on the shield. Numerous war trophies of the victorious emperor are crowded around.
There are about two and a half thousand human figures on the relief ribbon. These are soldiers of the Roman army performing certain actions: building fortifications, crossing the river, fighting, etc. Emperor Trajan himself is depicted fifty-nine times on the tape: at the head of a detachment, on a certain elevation.
The work of ancient masters
Figures of soldiers, details of their weapons and uniforms, as well as fortifications on the column are drawn quite realistically and clearly. There is no perspective in the relief image: both near and far objects are displayed here with the same dimensions. In addition, the second relief plan is made in the upper part of the tape. This approach makes the feed very informative.
Such accuracy of all the presented scenes makes it possible not only to better imagine, but also to study the weapons, armor and clothing of the Romans and even the Dacians of that era.
In addition to the figures of soldiers, on the relief you can also see some allegorical drawings typical of the art of the Roman Empire of those times. For example, under the figure of an old man you needthe Danube, and the woman with the veiled face is Night.
During creation, all relief figures were executed in color. However, over time, their paint faded, and today these images have received the same light tone, which, however, does not detract from either their historical or artistic value.
Secrets of an ancient civilization
Erected in the distant year 113, this fantastic column has been towering over Rome for almost two millennia. Over time, its reliefs have been badly damaged, so, apart from a few lower turns on the spiral, the rest are very difficult to see. There are real ruins around the column: empty pedestals and broken slabs, broken sculptures and headless columns everywhere - all this only remotely resembles the former splendor of the Forum.
Trajan's Column is considered one of the main monuments of all those that survived the fall of the Roman Empire. From century to century, historians have been studying its reliefs as a visual aid to the history of wars, where Trajan himself is presented as a hero, and Decebalus, the ruler of the Dacians, is his worthy opponent. Archaeologists looked at even the smallest details from the depicted scenes in order to obtain information about the military tactics of weapons and uniforms of the Roman army. V. A. Chudinov also spent a lot of effort on studying this unique monument. Trajan's column in Rome, in his opinion, is dedicated to the famous Trojan War of the XIII century, and not to the victorious emperor. About itMany facts testify, including the rate of destruction of the bas-relief, which suggests that the structure is only about five hundred years old. However, many experts do not agree with the opinion of the Russian scientist.
Where is Trajan's Column
The structure of the ancient Forum was thought out to the smallest detail. The entrance to the square paved with multi-colored marble was decorated with a huge triumphal arch. On three sides of it stood sculptures of the most famous figures of the Roman Empire, and the architect placed a basilica on the fourth. It was a kind of political structure in which the decrees of the emperor were created. Apollodorus placed the famous Trajan's Column between the Latin and Greek libraries. Today it can be seen next to Piazza Venezia and the monument to Vittorio Emanuel. Trajan's Column, the photo of which is irrefutable proof of the greatness and monumentality of this building, is located directly opposite the church of Santa Maria di Loretto.
You can get to it by private car or taxi by driving to Via dei Fori Imperiali. Those who independently explore the sights of Rome can get off at the Colosseum metro station and then walk to this monument on foot. From the stop to her only half an hour at a slow pace.
Interesting facts
In addition to replacing the sculptural images crowning the column of the emperor, this building has not undergone other more or less significant changes over its centuries-old history.
During the reign of Trajan, there was a ban onburial of people within the city. However, after Trajan's death, an exception was made for him.
This monument is of great interest to modern Romanians. After all, Trajan destroyed Dacia to the ground, so the column today is a precious evidence of how their distant ancestors could dress and look.
