in the heart of Rome lies a mystery
Trajan’s column is one of the most
impressive monuments to survived the
fall of the Roman Empire and researchers
are still trying to understand how it
was actually built
if only we could go back in time we
could watch this amazing feat of
engineering come together
the column was dedicated by the Roman
Senate in 113 ad to honor the Emperor
Trajan who had just conquered the desi
ins all but wiping them from the face of
Europe the architect was thought to be
Apollodorus of Damascus who had already
designed Trajan’s forum at 126 feet tall
the column would require 29 blocks of
solid marble each weighing from 25 to 77
tons these were brought from a quarry
north of Rome and floated up the Tiber
River to the work site within each drum
was carved windows and a staircase
allowing access to the top
the current theory says the drums were
rolled into the base of a lifting tower
a sophisticated scaffolding and pulley
system for lifting the drums high into
the air
to grip the drums slots were carved into
the marble for Lewis irons which held
the marble from the inside then ropes
were attached to each Lewis providing
the power for lifting the drums was a
series of cap stands working in concert
each pushed by perhaps a dozen men as
well as horses these were connected to
ropes that wound through pulley blocks
up and down the lifting tower in this
way a marble drum could be raised high
above the streets below
to see what’s happening inside the
lifting tower let’s take away one of the
outer walls of this model a drum is
lifted and then lowered onto a trundling
platform ropes are disconnected and the
drum is moved horizontally then new
ropes are attached the platform is
removed and the drum is lowered and
secured into place once the drums are
set craftsman smooth the surface and
begin work on a six hundred and fifty
six foot long frieze which tells the
story of emperor Trajan’s war victory
the frieze spirals up the column like a
giant comic strip in 155 different
scenes and was probably painted with
bright colors no evidence remains as to
what the colors actually were
a bronze statue of Trajan was placed on
top but in 1588 a pope installed a
statue of Saint Peter instead the statue
of Trajan has been lost to history
meanwhile the pedestal is made out of 8
marble blocks and contains the tomb of
Trajan Trajan’s column has stood for
more than 1,900 years and was deeply
influential over the centuries as the
city’s landmarks crumbled the column has
continued to fascinate and inspire
