In peace, sons bury their fathers. In war, fathers bury their sons. Herodotus Of everything spectacular in Rome, the single object I most wanted to see was Trajans column. Erected in 113 AD, it is apparently the exact height (138 ft. with base) of the hill that was leveled to create the open space for Trajans Forum. The column commemorates Trajans victories in Dacia (now Romania). I like Trajans column because...along with Homer’s Iliad, Picassos Guernica and the Vietnam Wall...it is one of the great anti-war statements. The 600 foot-long band of carved reliefs that winds around the column primarily depicts the daily life of the ordinary Roman soldier...Trajans glorious victory is obscured somewhere near the top. (Originally there were viewing platforms at different levels.) Legend has it that the column was saved from destruction by Pope Gregory the Great (590-604). Moved by a scene depicting Trajan helping the mother of a dead soldier, the pope asked God to save Trajans soul and it was done. We know because when Trajans ashes were excavated, his tongue was still intact to tell the story of his rescue from hell. These photos are of Trajans Forum, the column and three panels. (The statue at the top is St. Peter.)
Posted on: Wed, 29 Jan 2014 15:22:11 +0000
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