Column of Marcus Aurelius in Rome
Who built the column?
Marcus Aurelius‘ column was actually not built by Marcus Aurelius himself but by his son Commodus, about 180-190 AD.
Who was Marcus Aurelius?
And his son Commodus?
Roman art
All our Ancient Rome articles
Why did Commodus build it?
Commodus wanted to remind people in Rome about his father’s victories in a war against the Marcomanni north of Rome (in modern Switzerland).
The Iron Age in northern Europe
What style is the column of Marcus Aurelius?
It’s a lot like Trajan’s Column, but art styles had changed eighty years later, and this column has much deeper relief and more violence than Trajan’s Column does. Also, Marcus Aurelius was not as successful in his war as Trajan had been, so there are more sad scenes on this column.
More about Trajan’s Column
Roman philosophy
Gnostic Christianity
Column of Marcus Aurelius – Roman soldiers cross the Danube river in boats.
What does the column show?
All around the column, there are pictures of the Roman soldiers fighting the war. In this picture you can see Roman soldiers crossing the Danube river in boats.
Column of Marcus Aurelius: building a pontoon bridge
Roman technical skill
Just like on Trajan’s column seventy years earlier, the Romans wanted to emphasize their engineering and technical skill. They showed the boats they used to cross the river.
What is a pontoon bridge?
The Roman army
And they showed how Roman soldiers could create a pontoon bridge for soldiers and horses to cross the Danube river even more easily.
Some sad and terrible scenes
But other scenes from the column of Marcus Aurelius are sadder and grimmer than anything on Trajan’s Column.
Column of Marcus Aurelius: Roman soldiers cut off the heads of Dacian prisoners.
There are scenes that show Roman soldiers cutting off the heads of their German prisoners. Frightened women try to protect little children.
Learn by doing: draw a series of panels that illustrate an event from your own life.
More about Marcus Aurelius
More about Roman art
Bibliography and further reading about the Column of Marcus Aurelius:
You Are in Ancient Rome, by Ivan Minnis (2004). For younger kids.
Ancient Rome: A Guide to the Glory of Imperial Rome, by Jonathan Stroud (2000). A day as a time-travelling tourist in ancient Rome, for kids.
Spend the Day in Ancient Rome : Projects and Activities that Bring the Past to Life, by Linda Honan (1998). Has an activity for making your own column out of a paper-towel roll.
Roman Art: Romulus to Constantine, by Nancy and Andrew Ramage (4th Edition 2004).The standard textbook.
