Art History Written Report

Remembering Trajan’s Forum, Market and Column

Introduction:

It is hard to imagine that the now cat-trodden forum and myriad of marble pieces was once “the greatest fora of all time.” Nearly two thousand years ago, the forum and market of Trajan was a sign of Roman glory and grandeur at its height. Boasting larger than life statues, colossal marble columns, heroic tales retold through intricate carvings, sparkling bronze roof tiles, and the hustle and bustle of the market, Trajan’s forum proclaimed that Rome was the center of ancient civilization. But, as you know, Rome was not built in a day and this atmosphere of excess was not always the case.
In AD 96 the Flavian dynasty came to an end when Titus Flavius Domitianus was assassinated. His death marked the beginning of a new era—the reign of the “Five Great Emperors.” This period consisted of a series of emperors known for less oppressive and tyrannical policies. Coincidentally, each of these men were adopted by the reigning emperor and chosen to succeed him. Marcus Cocceius Nerva followed Domitian with a short two-year reign. During this time, Nerva chose to adopt the current Commander of Upper Germany, Marcus Ulpius Traianus (Trajan), as his successor. When Nerva died in AD 98, Trajan became emperor.
Born in the south of Spain into a noble Italo-Hispanic family, Trajan aspired to be like Alexander and one day conquer the East. It is said that Trajan, the first non-Italian emperor, was divinely chosen for his role. With a strong military background, Trajan organized his leadership much like a general and subordinate officers; he relied heavily on provincial governors to make the majority of decisions. Only matters of extreme importance came before Trajan.

Marcus Ulpius Traianus, scuplted in Roman battle garb

Along with the empire, Trajan inherited an unsettled situation among the Germanic tribes and Dacians across the Danube River. Dacia, a highly organized barbarian kingdom, threatened the Danube frontier as one of Rome’s most capable enemies. With his military expertise, Trajan developed a campaign to defeat the Dacians. After a short-term victory over the Dacians in 101 AD, with the help of Apollodorus of Damascus, an ingenious sculptor and engineer, Trajan devised a plan to forever settle the Danube dispute. Developing an immense road system, the Romans gradually built a floating roadway across the Danube River. Such a feat had never been accomplished and the engineering skill was unfathomable. Dio Cassius, author of the only written record of the Dacian campaigns, describes how the Romans used the bridge to invade and vanquish the Dacians. Dio Cassius captures the compassionate nature of Trajan as he wrote:

"When the bandages gave out, he is said not to have spared even his own clothing, but to have cut it up into strips. In honor of the soldiers who had died in the battle he ordered an altar to be erected and funeral rites to be performed annually."

Trajan was an emperor who truly cared about his people and fellow soldiers. Bringing back 180 tons of gold and 360 tons of silver, the sheer amount of Trajan’s loot, actually caused the value of the metals to fall. With the winnings, Trajan funded 123 straight days of gladiatorial battles—with over 10,000 pairs of gladiators and 11,000 animals. The number of games in this year (AD 107) alone exceeded the sum of all the fights during Augustus’ entire reign.


Description/Function

The Forum
Trajan’s forum was built between 107 and 113 AD with booty from the Dacian wars. Apollodorus of Damascus and Trajan joined forces once again to achieve the impossible. Deciding to locate the forum between the Capitoline and Quirinal hills, workers excavated through the mountain for the forum’s prime location. Although several other emperors had built previous forums, Trajan sought to construct a forum unparalleled in size or grandeur. The forum was different from others in its time because instead of a temple at the far end of the forum, there was the Basilica Uplia, a law court. The forum was also unique for its layout resembling the organization of a military camp. This was undoubtedly inspired by the excessive amount of time Trajan spent within military camps.

Birdseye View, Layout of the Forum/Market

The gigantic forum measured 300 meters by 185 meters. By no coincidence, the only entrance into the forum was near Augustus’ forum. Heralded as the greatest emperor since Augustus, there had been many similarities between the two distinguished men. The sole entrance to the forum led the visitor under an impressive triumphal arch flanked by columns on either side. Inside the entry, visitors were met by an enormous bronze statue of Trajan in a four-horse chariot accompanied by trophies of Victory. Beyond the statue was the two-story Basilica Ulpia (named after Trajan’s family) boasting of Corinthian and Ionic columns. The gold and purple-veined Tunisian marble steps lead up to where business and important trials were conducted. Above and below, marble tiling covered the ceiling and floors, and the structure was roofed with gilded bronze tiles. Within each arch stood statues of solemn and defeated-looking Dacian soldiers reminding the Roman people of their dominance and power. Above the soldiers, shields depicting Trajan’s generals were hung. Measuring 395 by 180 feet, the enormous size of the Basilica Ulpia hid much of Trajan’s column, the libraries and the Temple of the Divine Trajan from view. As one walked through the forum, there were an increasing amount of monuments and facilities visible. After Trajan died, Hadrian constructed the octastyle temple with each Egyptian column measuring two meters in diameter. The temple took 11 years to complete- finally being finished in AD 128.



The Market
Trajan’s market was essentially the first indoor shopping experience. Dating back to AD 104-110, it is thought that the markets were built after the completion of the forum and hid the scarred mountainside. Brick stamps on the building materials suggest the age of the monument. The shape of the market is a multistory hemicycle forum separated from the forum with a high wall of peprino stone. This wall was thought to provide a shield from potential fire damage. Within the markets there was a minimum of at least 150 shops and offices. The ground floor was the center of activity. Here the shops, known as tabernae, were a barrel-vaulted shape. Due to the small size of the tabernae, the store owner would meet the customer at the door. The shops were ornately decorated with mosaics depicting the wares of the store such as wine, oil, seafood, groceries, vegetables, and fruit. On the second floor there were larger shops and offices that could be accessed by stairs on either end of the market. Separating the lower and upper floors was a street known as Via Biberatica. “Biber” meaning “drink” suggested that along this stretch were taverns and grocery stores. The arched concrete roof protected shoppers from the outdoor elements without compromising the natural sun lighting.

Modern View of Trajan’s Market

In the Middle Ages, the market underwent some construction- adding an
additional floor and the Torre delle Milizie, a fortified watchtower built in 1200. Even later, a convent was built on the same location, but it was demolished when the restoration of the markets began.


The Column
The inscription on the column suggests the column was built “to show how lofty had been the mountain- and the site for such mighty works was nothing less- which had been cleared away.” Reaching nearly 40 meters (100 Roman feet) high, the column is supposedly the height of the mountain that previously stood in its place. Running from bottom to top is a 200 meter-long frieze. The carvings retell the stories of the Dacian wars. The bottom half of the column illustrates the small battles, while the top half depicts the burning of the Dacian capital and the suicide of the king of the Dacians, Decebalus, while his loyal followers watched. Interestingly, the scenes do not depict the actual brutality of war. Instead, the Dacians are represented as submissive—heads hung low in defeat—the scenes always show Roman soldiers in control. Inside the column is a spiral staircase that would carry noble people and special guests to view the glory of the forum from the top of the column. It is said that the transition from escaping the nearly dark staircase—lit only by periodic holes—into the blinding daylight caught guests off guard and reinforced the glamour and shock of the splendor of Rome. The column was dedicated in AD 113.

Trajan’s Column Still Stands Proudly Today

It is said that after Trajan passed away in AD 117, he was actually cremated and his urn was placed inside the column along with his wife Plotina.

Patrons Goals/Concerns

After years upon years of the costly Dacian wars, Trajan sought to regain popularity by building the beautiful forum. The Roman people were wary after a seemingly endless bout of war against the Dacians. Not only were the wars costly to the people through increased taxing, but the purpose of the war was also unclear to many of the Romans. Many of the ancient monuments standing today tell a similar tale of political propaganda, much like modern day “pork barrel” projects to sway the opinion of the people. By providing a public space for Roman citizens to enjoy and conduct business, Trajan secured his position as a people-oriented and caring emperor. The “greatest fora of all time” additionally commemorated the achievement of the victorious Roman soldiers. Furthermore, the plunder from the wars was a tangible indication of the profitability of the war and a sign of Rome’s power and dominance.
Trajan was a war-minded man. It is hypothesized that Trajan used the splendor of the forum and markets to gain the peoples’ support of the upcoming Parthian wars and immortalize his previous victories. Unlike the Dacian wars, Trajan was merely motivated by glory to initiate this battle.
Another author speculates that Trajan built his column with the goals of making it a public funerary monument. In ancient Roman times it was thought that to keep the spirit of the deceased alive, their burial site needed to be viewed, discussed, or walked past. It is clear that placing his funerary monument in the middle of the forum was ideal for Trajan. Furthermore, circumambulating the monument also stirred the spirit. Therefore, the clockwise scroll up the sides of Trajan’s column and the interior spiral staircase forced people to circulate the tomb. It is unlikely that Trajan publicly announced his intent of making the column his burial site. Caesar was not received well when he announced his desire to be buried within the city limits and was soon thereafter killed. Therefore, it is no surprise that Trajan kept his intentions quiet.


What was particularly interesting?

During my research I read many articles articulating specific parts of the forum, market, or column, but one article that I found especially interesting was an engineering article that explained how the column was erected. The building of Trajan’s forum was not only an architectural feat and an aesthetic testament to Roman prestige, but also a sign of Roman creativity and excellence in engineering.
I also found it interesting that Pope Gregorio the Great was so inspired by Trajan’s compassionate reign that he prayed to God for his soul. It is said that in a dream God appeared to the Pope and assured him that Trajan had been delivered to heaven, but he was never again to intercede for pagans.
Additionally, I was shocked to see how closely the column of Marcus Aurelius (standing in Piazza Colonna) resembles Trajan’s column. It is remarkable that Trajan’s column was so influential that other columns were actually fashioned to be nearly identical replicas.
In conclusion, Trajan’s forum, market, and column have stood the test of time. Juxtaposing two conflicting worlds of modernity and history, Rome proudly displays these ancient remnants to remind visitors of the imperial propaganda, strength, and prestige that once ruled. Viewing Trajan’s forum, I was struck by this dynamic and ever-evolving world. The crumbled marble—once the most impressive monument of its time—may have lost its structural integrity, but will forever tell the tale of a great man heralded for his victory, administration, and compassion.

Presenting at Trajan's Forum, (Note: Column in the background)

Works Consulted

Beard, Mary, and John Henderson. Classical Art : From Greece to Rome. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005.

Davies, Penelope J.E. The Politics of Perpetuation:Trajan's Column and the Art of Commemoration. American Journal of Archaeology, v. 101, 1997.

Lancaster, Lynne C. "Building Trajan's Column" American Journal of Archaeology 1999,419-39.

Meneghini, Roberto. "The Imperial Forums and Trajan Market." Rome: F.lli Palombi, c1993.

Packer, James. “Trajan's Glorious Forum.” Archaeology Jan./Feb. 1998: 32-41.

Rossi, Lino. “Trajan’s Column and the Dacian Wars.” New York: Cornell Univerity Press, 1971.