Trajan's Column facts for kids
The Trajan's Column is a famous ancient Roman monument in Rome, Italy. It was built to celebrate the Roman emperor Trajan's big victory in the Dacian Wars. These were wars fought against the Dacians, who lived in what is now Romania. The column was likely designed by a skilled architect named Apollodorus of Damascus. It was built because the Roman Senate, which was like the government of Rome, ordered it. You can find it in Trajan's Forum, a large public square, near the Quirinal Hill, north of the Roman Forum. The column was finished in AD 113.
The column is special because it has a long, spiral carving called a bas-relief that wraps all the way around it. This carving tells the story of the wars between the Romans and the Dacians, which happened in 101–102 AD and 105–106 AD. The amazing design of Trajan's Column has inspired many other victory columns built both long ago and in modern times.
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Column Structure and Design
The Trajan's Column stands about 30 metres (98 ft) tall. If you include its large base, called a pedestal, it reaches about 35 metres (125 ft). This impressive monument is made from 20 hollow pieces of white Carrara marble. Each of these marble pieces is very heavy, weighing about 32 tons, and they are about 3.7 metres (11 ft) wide.
The Story in Stone
The long carving, or frieze, on the column is about 190 metres (625 ft) long. It winds around the column 23 times, showing scenes from the Dacian Wars. Inside the column, there's a spiral staircase with 185 steps. If you climb these steps, you can reach a viewing platform at the very top. The very top block of the column, called the capital block, is incredibly heavy at 53.3 tons. It had to be lifted about 34 metres high during construction.
History of the Column's Top
When Trajan's Column was first built, ancient coins show that there were plans for a statue of an eagle on top. However, it was actually built with a statue of Emperor Trajan himself. This original statue of Trajan disappeared sometime during the Middle Ages, which was a long time ago.
Modern Statue on Top
Centuries later, on December 4, 1587, Pope Sixtus V decided to place a new statue on top of the column. He chose a bronze figure of St. Peter, one of the most important figures in Christianity. When the column was first built, it was located next to two libraries. It's thought that these libraries might have kept the emperor's own written accounts of the Roman-Dacian Wars.
Images for kids
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Roman carroballista, a cart-mounted field artillery weapon (relief detail)
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Two examples of Dupondius coins from 114–116 AD, showing Trajan's column with the original statue on top and his portrait
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Trajan's Column around 1896
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The inscription plate above the entrance to the interior (upper image)
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The plaster casts laid out at eye level in the Museum of Roman Civilization
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Front side of the Karlskirche in Vienna, flanked by two columns styled after the Roman archetype
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See also
In Spanish: Columna de Trajano para niños
