Blogging from Rome, Italy, November 2nd, 2019
Bloggers: Alex and Kylie
Steps Taken: 13,200
Flights: 13
Throughout the FSP, we have been wondering, “What is that tall swirly thingy near the Piazza Venezia?” Today, Professor Ulrich banished our ignorance.
That is the Column of Trajan.
This triumphal column was dedicated in 113 CE to commemorate Roman victory in the Dacian Wars. But what are the Dacian Wars?
Trajan’s imperial predecessor, Domitian, had been placating the troublesome Dacians by paying them off in exchange for peace. The Dacians were a tribe that lived across the Danube River in modern-day Romania, led by King Decebalus. Although King Decebalus was collecting Roman tribute, he nonetheless continued to raid Roman colonies.
Disgusted with this arrangement, the new emperor Trajan personally leads an army across the Adriatic Sea and the Danube in 101 CE. Trajan defeats King Decebalus and forces capitulation. Decebalus promises to be good and is spared. If only Decebalus could keep his word…
Instead, Decebalus continues to attack Roman territories. Trajan leads another army across the Danube in 105 CE and hunts down Decebalus. Trajan’s army decisively defeats the Dacians for a second time. Decebalus commits suicide, which is rendered on Trajan’s Column. Also rendered are 154 other separate scenes of the Dacian Wars showing bridge-building projects, prisoners, winged victories, emissaries, battles, many Trajans, gods, and vanquished enemies.
With the spoils from the Dacian Wars, Trajan builds a large market complex and a new imperial forum in Rome. Say what you will about Trajan, but he gets things done.
We walked to the nearby Markets of Trajan and Trajan’s Forum.
The Markets of Trajan are an architectural marvel: they contain the oldest surviving cross-vault, designed to allow light into the marketplace. The compound contains stalls for about 150 separate “shops.”
We walked down to the Via Biberatica, an adjoining ancient road with evidence of overhanging balconies. We then entered Trajan’s Forum, where we admired marbles sourced from all quarters of the empire. Trajan’s Forum is flanked by lofty structures, truly innovative for their time. We learned that barely any wood was used to construct Trajan’s Market and Trajan’s Forum because the Romans were terrified of fires. Lucky for us, that means the structures survive today!
Afterward, we visited a space not very well known in Rome: The Pantheon. The Pantheon was a Roman temple, but now it is a Catholic church in Rome. The temple was commissioned by Agrippa during the reign of Augustus, and it was completed by the emperor Hadrian. It was dedicated across all of the pagan gods of Rome. Inside are two important tombs: One of Raphael the artist and the other of Vittorio Emanuele II. The architecture is stunning, as the dome allows for the play of light and dark to create interest while being a statement piece in its own right.
Then, we went to the column of Marcus Aurelius. Like Trajan, he was beloved by the Romans and built a column with the spiral relief depicting war in the Danube region. It is quite brutal, even exceeding that of Trajan’s shows of violence, as dead bodies fill the scenes.
On that cheerful note, we split for the day, as students wanted to prepare for their respective portraiture reports on the 3rd.
Grazie e ciao!
