The Column of Trajan is a monumental piece of art and architecture that has withstood the test of time and surpassed all the conventional standards in the area of architecture and design. In principle it a Roman Triumphal piece of architecture which stands in the city of Rome in Italy in this day and age. Empirical evidence, history and records point to the direction that it was built and supervised by one Apollodorus who hailed from Damascus, upon the special request of the Roman government or the senate. A close look and analysis, one would notice the numerous paintings and crafts which were aimed at designing or commemorating the numerous victories and triumphs that the Romans had during war times. It is to say that whenever the Romans recorded victory in the battlefield, a feather of honor in the name of a painting or a drawing was appended on the monumental structure.
There are carving’s, paintings and sculptures incorporated at the base of the monument, which were used to depict and exhibit the Roman might as far as warfare and military acumen is concerned. For instance, there is a frieze, which is continuous in nature, and it is conspicuously wide at the very bottom or the base of the monument (Stanton 1995). This relief shows a majestic portrayal of the Roman domination and victory over the Dacians. At the face value and close analysis, one would gauge the argument that the imagery is not real, or it is an idealized concept and perspective of art. Commonly a wide spectrum of men are shown and depicted through a different angle, where the men seem to be working behind a wall. This aspect strips the sculpture off the value of realism and instead it a connotation of idealism or idealization. Close to the frieze is an elaborate depiction of idealization when the emperor Trajan is consciously visible in the midst of a troop of soldiers, approximately fifty-nine. It is as if the majestic posture and stature of the emperor Trajan is by far bigger and more domineering than the combined army or troop of the soldiers. Thus, he is idealized and made to appear too big or too powerful for any ordinary human being at that point in time.
At the header bar, there are sculpture and drawings, which are believed to have been done by one Claudio Martini. There are so elaborate and serve the purpose of complementing the images, thus adding the complex appeal that the sculptures and the monument were designed to serve in the first place.
The main and major purpose of the Column of Trajan was supposed to be a propaganda monument, which was aimed at showing off and glorifying the military and warfare skills of the emperors. Over the years, however other structures and buildings have been erected in the vicinity thus reducing the overall propaganda value that the initial monument was supposed to have borne (Rockwell, 2009). On the same breadth and instance, it is worth to note and mention that the Column of Trajan was supposed to highlight the military prowess of the Romans over their arch-nemesis and rivals the Dacians. Thus, when it was first erected it was to be a public treasure or a public monument. It is not to imply that the glorification of the emperors as was intended was supposed to be downplayed or degraded.
Images of Trajan
References
Rockwell, P., & International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and the Restoration of
Cultural Property. (2009). Preliminary study of the carving techniques on the Column of Trajan. Rome: ICCROM.
Stanton, D. C. (1995). Feminisms in the academy. Ann Arbor: Univ. of Michigan Press..
