Column of Marcus Aurelius

Column of Marcus Aurelius

The Column of Marcus Aurelius is a Doric column located in Piazza Colonna in Rome, featuring a spiral relief on its shaft. It was built to commemorate the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius and modeled after the Column of Trajan. An inscription discovered nearby confirms that the Column of Marcus Aurelius was constructed around the year 193.

The column shaft stands 29.60 meters high, with a base that adds another 10 meters, and including the statue at its top, experts estimate the total height of the Column of Marcus Aurelius to be 41.95 meters. The column is made up of 27 or 28 blocks of Carrara marble, each 3.7 meters high. These marble blocks were transported here to decorate the approximately 190–200 steps inside the column that lead to the top. Like the Column of Trajan, the interior staircase of the Column of Marcus Aurelius is illuminated through gaps in the exterior reliefs. The external spiral reliefs depict Emperor Marcus Aurelius’s campaigns during the Marcomannic Wars against the Germanic tribes in 166.

The meaning of the depicted scenes and inscriptions on the Column of Marcus Aurelius remains unclear, but they may have served to emphasize the superiority and power of the Roman Empire and reinforce the legitimacy of its rule. Overall, the Column of Marcus Aurelius represents an artistic style that developed toward the Late Classical period and is also the first artwork to reflect the crisis of the third century.

Column of Marcus Aurelius

Why you must visit: One of Rome’s most iconic landmarks

Continent where the attraction is located: Europe【Europe】

Country/region where the attraction is located: Italy[Italy]

Province/state where the attraction is located: Lazio Region [Lazio Region]

City where the attraction is located: Rome [Rome]