Trajan—
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born in spain, but increased power through successful military campaigns
eventually adopted by nerva, the current emperor
succeeded to the throne without an issue
an ideal emperor by many historical accounts
o Pliny praises the thoughtfulness Trajan uses while treating petitioners
o A later king, Gregory the Great even wrote that he should be admitted into heaven as an honorary
Christian
o Why was he viewed as such an amazing emperor?
 helped poor children like the scene shown on the inside of the arch of trajan
 Extremely successful military campaigns
 widely expanded the roman empire—to widest extent
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One of his most famous campaigns was against the Dacians
These wars brought him military fame and much wealth for Rome
The wars against them lasted from 101-102 ad and 105-106 ad
The column of trajan depicts the war against Dacia
Dacians lived in modern day Romania
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column of trajan: 29 blocks of marble
at the top is currently a statue of St. Peter
When it was created a statue of Trajan 16 feet high was on top inscription states that the senate and people of
rome created the column to show how high the hill rose which they excavated to put the column and forum in its
stead
door in the column which opens onto a spiral staircase carved out of the solid stone which opens to the platform on
top of the column
People in antiquity were able to go up there and view a panorama
o over the Basilicia Ulpia(shimmering bronze tiled roof)
o Trajan’s Forum
The frieze on the column is what it is most known for today
It is 200 meters long, with 155 scenes
Actual battle scenes are a minority on the column
often repeated scenes include
o imperial address
o sacrifice
o the army setting out on campaign
Wanted to incorporate Dacia into empire—violent action towards women and children is not depicted on column
war may have been downplayed in order to sow the roman population that the army yielded little collateral damage
Imortant events portrayed
o first crossing of the Danube by the roman legion
o trajan’s voyage up the danube
o surrender of the dacians at end of first war
o The first battle scene has Jupiter the Thunderer in it (few gods show up at all in the column), this has lead
to the idea that the battle may have occurred during a storm
o Scene of 5 Dacian women torturing 3 captured Roman soldiers—interesting scene, because women
hardly show up in major scenes of the column or much other Roman art
o victory separates sections halfway through
o great sacrifice at the Danube during the second war
o Assault of the Dacian capital (depicted as inevitable Roman win, though it most likely was not)
o the Dacian king Decebalus commits suicide
o His head is shown to an assembly of roman soldiers
o Trajan makes 59 appearances among the troops
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This frieze was seen better during antiquity from upper story windows
This column also became the tomb of Trajan
He is often thought to be buried in the base of the column in a small chamber
Current theory suggests he may actually be buried on opposite side of tomb where there is an inverted v-shaped
cut
Forum of Trajan
 paid for by Trajan’s spoils from Dacia
 twice the size of Augustus’ forum
 reached from foot of Quirinal to Capitoline hill, wherein adjoined Caesar’s forum
 the square itself was once paved with marble
 on the central axis was a large statue of trajan on horse back
 Exhedra contained ten niches with over life size marble statues
 interior of the ephedra was two stories high, lined with purple marble shafts and yellow marble on the second floor
 The basilica uplia took up the fourth side of the square
Died on way back from Parthian empire (117 Ad),
(that was the war commemorated by Trajan’s arch)
Even after death he was Long revered. The senate greeted new emperors with the words “May you be even luckier than
Augustus and even better than Trajan”