JF Ptak Science Books   Quick Post 

 

 I have a hard time resisting long and detailed engravings, and the great sculptural victory column with the enormous numbers of bas relief depicted by Giovanni Piranesi (“Trofeo o sia magnifica colonna … ove si veggono scolpite le due
guerre daciche fatte da Trajano, inalzata nel mezzo del gran foro …” and printed in 1770) certainly takes a stellar position. It is of course a depiction of the epic victories of Roman Emperor Trajan’s campaigns against the Dacians (101-102 and 105-106 ACE), and is located at Trjan’s Forum, north of the Roman Forum.  The story of Trajan’s efforts on the 100′-high column (125′ with pedestal) wraps itself around 23 times, rendering a 625′-long storyline of defeat for the Dacians.

It is a beautiful thing, even if Sixtus V (the Sixtus who came after Sixtus IV who commissioned the Sistine Chapel, or the chapel dedicated to the Sixtus popes) placed that statue of St. Peter on the top of it. 

Here’s a fantastic site that interprets and presents all of the 500+ sculptures on the column: http://www.stoa.org/trajan/