The Column of Trajan

A stupendous monument and certainly the most original expression of Roman art, the Column of Trajan was created as an integral part of the Trajanic complex comprising the Forum, the Basilica Ulpia, the libraries and the Temple of the Deified Trajan. Two hundred meters of relief wind up the column depicting the history of the Dacian wars. The reliefs offer a unique "documentary" that has always fascinated artists, scholars and enthusiasts in general.

By publishing this volume in English, we hope to make its high-quality documentation of the entire work available to a much wider public.

The 181 plates, published with the kind permission of the German Archaeological Institute in Rome, provide a full photographic record of the reliefs;
an essay by Filippo Coarelli offers insight into the historical and architectural context at the time the column was built, and follows its fate through the centuries, accompanied by extensive illustrations;
the choice of paper (certified to last several centuries) and the care taken in reproducing the photographs;
all these are the fruit of a commitment in response to the importance of the work and the topics covered