Introduction
In ancient times, Trajan’s Column, Market and Forum acted as a central hub, brought to life by the people shopping for everyday food items, visiting the libraries, and attending civic court. Today, despite the fact that the Forum has not survived the test of time, the Market’s space is still utilized and the Column of Trajan stands proudly, in near perfect condition. Regardless of the state of the remaining structures, the sheer size of the space and value of the materials that remain give the modern day viewer a sense of the magnificent complex that celebrated Emperor Trajan and rewarded the Roman people. It is through the grand space, intelligently designed structures, and extravagant remnants of ancient materials that continue to perpetuate the memory of Trajan as an accomplished military man and benevolent emperor.
Only one year after Domitian’s assassination in 97 AD, Nerva adopted Marcus Ulpius Traianus (Trajan) as his son and the heir of the Roman Empire. This decision employed successful political policy, for the Roman Army did not respect Emperor Nerva, as their loyalty still lay with the late Emperor Domitian. On the other hand, Trajan had been a senator and army commander and was currently Governor of Upper Germany. Trajan’s military accomplishments made him a good candidate for he could compensate for Nerva’s inability to lead the Roman Army. After Nerva’s death in 98 AD, Trajan, who was born in Spain, became the first emperor not of Italian descent and also the first of the Five Great Emperors. Each of the Five Great Emperors was known as being moderate, less oppressive rulers who had earned the respect of the Roman people. Additionally, the emperor preceding each of the Five Great Emperors had adopted them, such that the current emperor could choose his successor and hopefully provide continuity of ruling practices for the Roman people.
Trajan, who is said to have excelled at war, expanded the Roman Empire to its greatest boundaries. Inevitably, while pushing the boundaries of the Roman Empire, wars will occur. Given that Trajan had a personal fondness for battle, effort on his part was required to convince the public that such wars were necessary. Therefore, after winning the second war against the Dacians in 106 AD, Trajan commissioned the engineer Apollodurus of Damascus to build a gift for the people of Rome, namely the Market, Column and Forum of Trajan, using materials and spoils from recently conquered Dacia. The Column of Trajan bears the most explicit relation to the Dacian Wars as a detailed account of the wars spirals up the Column’s shaft. Newly accessible resources in what was previously Dacian land, such as rare colored marble, were proudly taken advantage of and displayed in the Forum.
Description
Trajan's Glorious Forum: Drawing
Reconstruction drawing of the Forum of Trajan shows:
(2) statue of the emperor on horseback
(3) hemicycles
(4) Basilica Ulpia (a law court), (5) two libraries
(6) Trajan's Column, and
(7) his temple.
Passing by the Forum of Augustus, Roman citizens proceeding into Trajan’s Forum would walk under the triumphal arch (1) marking the entrance, and first and foremost would be exposed to the product of Trajan’s successful military conquest against the people of Dacia; this victory was seen in the form of an abundance of marble, colored with veins of purple and gold, lining the square and coating the forty-foot columns. Furthermore, their eyes would immediately be drawn to the grand Equestrian Statue of Trajan (2) set equally between the hemicycle (3) located on the exterior of both long sides of the Forum’s walls. Looking ahead, one would see the area just beyond the far columns darkened by the roof of the Basilica Ulpia (4). On top of the lower roof level, directly above the columns, stood statues of Dacian prisoners, gazing solemly downwards with a look of defeat etched on their faces. Passing through this ancient court of law, and then between the closely spaces East and West Libraries (5), one would have to gaze 140 feet into the sunlit sky searching for the statue at the top, eyes pouring over the long tale of the Dacian Wars circling the surface of the intricately detailed Column (6).
The Column of Trajan was constructed by placing twenty-nine blocks of Luna marble on top of each other, and then carving the exterior. The 600 foot long frieze marching up and around the column at a slight angle civilly depicted Roman soldiers, battle techniques and most importantly Trajan, conquering the people of Dacia. Unlike the harsh reality of war, grotesque images were omitted from this frieze. This is thought to be because the people of Dacia were generally well respected and moreover, merciless depictions would not help Trajan gain public support for his wars. Interestingly, depending on the time period, the statue situated on top of the Column would change. The eagle originally placed on top of the Column at the time of its completion was replaced by a statue of Trajan after his death in 117 AD. In 1587 the top of the Column lay vacant, as the statue has disappeared during the Middle Ages, so Pope Sixtus V commissioned a statue of St. Peter to take residence at the top of the Column.
From inside the Forum, looking to the east, it is possible that Romans were able to see the Market of Trajan nestled into the Quirinal Hill over the Forum’s walls, but there is no doubt that they had an exceptional view of the Markets and Forum from the ballastere of the Column. Climbing to the top of the spiral staircase within the Column was described as “a ‘sudden surprise’… as the visitor's abrupt emergence from the narrow, dark staircase into the dazzling sunlight, where [she or] he stood, blinded for a moment, surrounded on all sides by open air, released from total restriction to utter freedom (Davies, 2000, pg. 65).” The height of the Column’s lookout is thought to be representative of the height of the Quirinal Hill before the hill was cleared away to prepare for the construction of the Forum. The Temple of Trajan (7), which was not constructed until after Trajan’s death, was built to the north of Trajan’s Column by Emperor Hadrian, who was Trajan’s adopted son.
When used as a marketplace, Trajan’s Market must have been bustling with shoppers buying their daily provisions, such as bread, fruit and olive oil, as well as other people on their way to work in the upper stories of the Market. The Market, built six stories into the Quirinal Hill, had space for approximately one hundred and fifty stores or offices. It is suggested that the vendors sold their items from the lower-most level of the Market, as that was easily accessible from the ancient street. Taken together, Trajan’s Column, Forum and Market incorporated practical structures and exquisite resources that constantly reminded the Roman people of their victory over the Dacians.
A contemporary view of Trajan’s Market and Column
Function
The Column
Whether Apollodorus intended this or not, Trajan’s Column is interpreted today to have multiple layers of possible functions. The most obvious purpose of the Column is to illustrate Trajan’s path to victory during the two Dacian Wars. Scholars continue to debate the significance of the continuous story that spirals up the Column. Viewers often complain that they cannot see very far up the Column, or that they lose their place while following the military narrative. From these criticisms stems the idea that perhaps one was not meant to follow the sequence of events until one could no longer make out the figures on the relief, but rather the Column was intended to be viewed from any single location around its base only as far up as the eye can clearly see.
On the other side of the spectrum, Davies presents the argument that it is the act of reading the spiraling story that is important, not the account of the Dacian Wars itself. Moreover, she proposes that one’s movement around the invisible circular track that must be followed to read the twisting narrative forces the viewer into reenacting the ancient funerary ritual of circumambulation, intended to honor and remember the deceased. This claim is further supported by the fact that Trajan and his wife Plotina were buried at the base of the Column for some time, as well as the persistent importance of the circle as an ancient Roman symbol.
After learning the story of the Dacian Wars, people could enter into the Column to climb its internal staircase. The darkened staircase winding its way to the platform near the top of the Column could be used by Romans to look out upon Trajan’s Market and Forum, which were the products of the spoils won during the Roman victory over the Dacians. If the glory of victory alone failed to excite the people about the expansion of the Roman Empire through conquest, surely this was not the case when one looked out over the astounding complex Trajan built for his people.
The Forum
The Forum of Trajan is located right next to the Forum of Augustus and it is no accident that one must pass the Forum of Augustus to find the only entrance to Trajan's Forum. Rather, this was a tool used by Trajan to associate himself with the great emperor Augustus. Additionally, looking underneath the Forum’s exquisitely decorated façade it becomes clear that the floor plan is modeled after an ancient Roman military camp. The decision to use the miliatry camp as a template for the Forum design works to enforce the underlying theme of Trajan's enthusiasm for war, as well as his military successes that set him apart as an accomplished military man.
Floor Plan of Trajan’s Forum
The function of the individual structures within the Forum, such as the Basilica Ulpia and East and West Libraries, are more straightforward – they were simply built to be used by the people. The Basilica Ulpia was a place where court cases could be heard and senators could save their valuables, and the East and West Libraries housed documents and books that could be stored or read.
The Market
The largest "mall" of its time, the Market of Trajan, provided an indoor shopping experience for the citizens of Rome and was the first of its kind. The incorporation of this building into Trajan’s complex is perhaps the only element commissioned solely for the people. Of course, the one exception to this is that Trajan’s generous gift to the people inevitably makes himself look good.
Goals of the Patron
Trajan's love of war served the Roman Empire well, but it also required him to convince the people of Rome that war was necessary. The first Dacian War occurred from 101-102 AD, and unfinished business resulted in a second war with the Dacians, lasting from 105-106 AD. Given that the expenses of war are great, and the two had been fought in a relatively short amount of time, Trajan built his complex to celebrate the successes of these wars, give much of the spoils back to the people, and most importantly teach the people that although wars are difficult, victory can bring many great rewards. While the Column and Forum of Trajan focus on explaining the narrative of the Dacian wars and displaying war booty, scholars suspect that Trajan was also subtly preparing the people of Rome for his next military campaign – the invasion of the Parthian peoples. If today’s politicians learned anything from Ancient Roman emperors it was that underlying, personal motives tend to be overlooked when they are accompanied by “gifts” for the people.
Conclusion
The Column, Market and Forum of Trajan reflect intelligent, innovative and stunning design by Apollodorus of Damascus and the fact that the Column and Market are still standing today prove the quality of these second century designs. While viewing the Column, the modern person has the privilege of learning the story of the Dacian Wars, as well as the military techniques used to conquer the Dacian people. Unfortunately, people today can no longer climb the staircase up to the platform situated beneath the statue of St. Peter to view the spacious Forum and Market, or circle around the column to decide for oneself whether the act of circling the column deserves more merit than the extensively detailed narrative gradually spiraling up the Column. Although the Forum and Market are one of a kind, the design and war-themed content depicted on Trajan's Column were borrowed to create the Column of Marcus Aurelius, adding weight to the argument that the purpose of the spiraling frieze was not simply to tell a story. To this day, the statement made by Ammianus Marcellinus during ancient times still holds true; the Forum, Market and Column of Trajan, as a whole, was “never again to be imitated by mortal men (Packer, pg. 34).” For this reason, those passing by Trajan’s Column, Market and Forum continue to be amazed by the empty space representing the size of the Forum, the extraordinary, lasting architecture of Market and Column, and the sheer height and precise detail of the Column. Overall, these elements persuade the modern viewer, just as they must have during ancient times, to remember the greatness of Trajan’s military victory against the Dacians and his philanthropic character that compelled him to use the spoils of war to better the life of the Roman people and teach them of the glories of war.
Personal Interests
While researching Trajan’s Complex as a whole, as well as the Column, Market and Forum individually, I was captivated by the debate over the intended purpose of the spiraling frieze encircling Trajan’s Column. Although I think the possibilities put forth by both Davies and Packer are well supported, and definitely plausible, the originality and strength of Davies’ argument came to me as a complete surprise. Her argument was so compelling that I could not wait to get to Rome to see for myself whether my personal interpretation of the Column depended on whether I was circling or standing in place while admiring the frieze. To my dismay, people today are not easily able to go down below the modern street level to stand or circle at the base of the Column. Regardless, I appreciated the variety of perspectives and interpretations of the Column. I felt that the different angles opened up the discussion on the subject and worked to help those studying this complex explore it deeper and begin to think about new interpretations of the Column and its function.
Bibliography
Davies, Penelope J.E. “The Dynamics of Form.” Death and the Emperor: Roman Funerary Monuments from Augustus to Marcus Aurelius. Cambridge University Press, 2000.
Davies, Penelope J.E. “The Politics of Perpetuation: Trajan's Column and the Art of Commemoration.” American Journal of Archaeology, Vol. 101, No. 1 (Jan., 1997), pp. 41-65.
Lancaster, Lynne C. "Building Trajan's Column" American Journal of Archaeology. 1999, 419-39.
Packer, James. “Trajan’s Glorious Forum.” Archaeology. Jan.-Feb. 1998.
Unknown, Author. "Marcus Ulpius Trajanus." Illustrated History of the Roman Empire. Web. 16 Jun 2010.
Unknown, Author. “ Trajan’s Column.” A view on cities. Web. 24 Jun 2010.
< http://www.aviewoncities.com/rome/trajanscolumn.htm>.
Unknown, Author. “Markets of Trajan.” Great Buildings Online. Web. 24 Jun 2010.
< http://www.greatbuildings.com/buildings/Markets_of_Trajan.html>.
Images
Packer, J., Lee, K. Trajan's Glorious Forum: Drawing. Web. Accessed 6/23/10. ,http://www.archaeology.org/9801/abstracts/captions/trajan.html>.
Hennessey, Catherine. A Contemporary View of Trajan’s Market and Column. 6/19/10.
Unknown, Author. Plan of forum of Trajan. Web. Accessed 6/23/10.
<http://www.utexas.edu/courses/ancientfilmCC304/lecture31/detail.php?linenum=27>.
Excellent discussion Catherine- very interesting.
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