The Trajan column was built in the early 2nd century AD (110-113) and is a triumphal column, which, like the triumphal arches, is intended to commemorate and publicize the victories of the Roman emperors and to showcase their political function.

 

It is located in the Forum of Trajan, near the Quirinale, north of the Roman Forum.

Trajan was an emperor of Hispanic origin, and with him Rome reached the greatest territorial expansion of his empire, with this column is evidence of the greatness of Trajan and the victories achieved by the emperor.

 

The obelisk, named after the Greek, is a tapered, often granite, four-sided monolith that ends in a cusp called a pyramidion. Its origins date back more than 3000 years and the city where they were first erected was Heliopoli, in Egypt, the city that represented the main center of worship of the Sun's divinity.

For the Egyptians the obelisks represented the "materialization" in stone of the beneficial rays of the Sun that allowed the development of life on earth.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Romans were very attracted to the Egyptian obelisks and brought them to the city of Rome.

In the urban landscape of Rome, from the imperial era to the present day, there are architectural elements that have always attracted the attention of many visitors and of the citizens themselves. These are the Egyptian obelisks that the ancient Roman emperors from Ottavian Augustus (27 B.C. - 14 A.D.) brought directly from the distant lands of the Nile to embellish squares, monuments and in particular the Circus of Rome.

None of them occupy the place where it was originally placed and many of them hide some secrets, such as one of the most important, which was used as a giant sundial.

Another curiosity is that Rome has the "primacy" among the other capitals of the world, being the city where there are more obelisks, in total there are 13 (but for a while there were many more!) and where the highest is also preserved.

Trajan went down in history as the most famous and best emperor along with Augustus. His rule will be remembered as a time of peace and prosperity for the Empire.

 

 

TRAJAN'S COLUMN

ORIGINS