Rome - Column of Marcus Aurelius Colonna di Marco Aurelio

The Piazza Colonna, with the Palazzo Chigi (now housing the Prime Minister's office), is dominated by the column of Marcus Aurelius. After Marcus Aurelius' defeat of the Marcomanni, Quadi and Sarmatae the column was erected by the Senate in the center of a square flanked by temples dedicated to Hadrian and Marcus Aurelius and by other public buildings.

The inscription at the foot of the column wrongly ascribes it to Antoninus Pius, and it is sometimes also known by the name of that Emperor. The column, standing 29.6m/97ft high (42m/138ft, if the base and capital are included) and 3.7m/12ft in diameter, is constructed of 27 drums of Carrara marble. A spiral relief runs up the column, with scenes from the wars with the Germanic tribes (171-173) and the Sarmatians (174- 175). The figures of soldiers and horses stand out more strongly from the background than on Trajan's Column, and like the reliefs on that column have yielded a wealth of information about the weapons and uniforms, the military techniques and the life of the period. A staircase (190 steps) inside the column gives access to the platform on the top, once occupied by a figure of Marcus Aurelius. The monument is now crowned by a bronze statue of the Apostle Paul (by Domenico Fontana), set up Column of Marcus Aurelius in 1589.