This is a list of Roman victory columns. Roman triumphal columns were either monolithic pillars or composed of column drums; in the later case, these were often hollowed out to accommodate an ancient spiral staircase leading up to the platform on top.
The earliest triumphal column was Trajan's Column which, dedicated in 113 AD, defined its architectural form and established its symbolic value as a political monument alongside the older Roman triumphal arches, providing a lingering model for its successors to this day. The imperial capitals of Rome and Constantinople house the most ancient triumphal columns.
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List [edit]
All dimensions are given here in metres; it should be noted, however, that it was the Roman foot by which ancient architects determined the harmonious proportions of the columns, and which is thus crucial for understanding their design.[1] The list is sorted by date of erection.
| Image | Date | Monument | City | Location | Height above ground | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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AD 113 | Trajan's Column | Rome | Trajan's Forum | 35.07 m[2] | Archetype of victory column |
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AD 161 | Column of Antoninus Pius | Rome | Campus Martius | ||
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Before AD 193 | Column of Marcus Aurelius | Rome | Piazza Colonna | 39.72 m[2] | Directly modelled on Trajan's Column |
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Between AD 268 and 337 | Column of the Goths | Istanbul | Gülhane Park | ||
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AD 297 | Pompey's Pillar | Alexandria | 26.85 m[3] | ||
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AD 330 | Column of Constantine | Istanbul | Forum of Theodosius | ||
| Column of Theodosius | Istanbul | Forum of Theodosius | ||||
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AD 421 | Column of Arcadius | Istanbul | Forum of Arcadius | ||
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AD 455 | Column of Marcian | Istanbul | |||
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AD 543 | Column of Justinian | Istanbul | Square of the Augustaeum | Toppled by Ottomans in the 16th century | |
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AD 608 | Column of Phocas | Rome | Roman Forum | Last addition to the Forum Romanum |
References [edit]
- ^ Jones 1993, pp. 23–38.
- ^ a b Jones 2000, p. 220.
- ^ Adam 1977, pp. 50f, refers to base, column shaft plus capital.
Sources [edit]
- Adam, Jean-Pierre (1977), "À propos du trilithon de Baalbek: Le transport et la mise en oeuvre des mégalithes", Syria 54 (1/2): 31–63 (50f.), doi:10.3406/syria.1977.6623
- Jones, Mark Wilson (1993), "One Hundred Feet and a Spiral Stair: The Problem of Designing Trajan's Column", Journal of Roman Archaeology 6: 23–38
- Jones, Mark Wilson (2000), Principles of Roman Architecture, Yale University Press, ISBN 0-300-08138-3
Further reading [edit]
- Beckmann, Martin (2002), "The 'Columnae Coc(h)lides' of Trajan and Marcus Aurelius", Phoenix 56 (3/4): 348–357, doi:10.2307/1192605
See also [edit]
- Record-holding columns in antiquity
- List of Roman obelisks
- List of Roman spiral stairs
- List of Roman triumphal arches
External links [edit]
Media related to Triumph columns at Wikimedia Commons
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