Trajan's Column

The Roman victory column was dedicated in AD 113, located in the Forum of Trajan in Rome. It was built to commemorate Emperor Trajan's successful military campaigns in the Dacian Wars.

The column is entirely covered in a continuous spiral bas-relief intricately detailing the story of the Dacian Wars. The carvings wind upwards 23 times and feature over 2,500 figures, including detailed depictions of Roman soldiers.

The column stands at exactly 100 Roman feet (about 30 meters or 98 feet) tall, not including its large pedestal. It was originally topped by a bronze statue of Emperor Trajan himself.

Trajan died in 117 CE, and his ashes, along with those of his wife Plotina, were placed inside a golden urn in the column's base. The urn was likely lost or removed during the Middle Ages when the monument was abandoned.