Coin showing the column with surmounting statue of Antoninus.

This article deals with the lost column dedicated to Antoninus Pius. For the column previously erroneously called this before the Renaissance, see Column of Marcus Aurelius, and specifically Column of Marcus Aurelius#Restoration

The Column of Antoninus Pius is an honorific column in Rome, devoted in 161 to the Roman emperor Antoninus Pius, in the Campus Martius, on the edge of the hill now known as Monte Citorio, and set up by his successors, the co-emperors Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus. Trajans Column is a monument in Rome raised by Apollodorus of Damascus at the order of the Senate. ... Modelled on Trajans Column, a monumental column in Rome commemorating the emperor Marcus Aurelius. ... The Column of Phocas, against the backdrop of the Arch of Septimius Severus. ... Image File history File links AntoninCoin. ... Image File history File links AntoninCoin. ... Modelled on Trajans Column, a monumental column in Rome commemorating the emperor Marcus Aurelius. ... Modelled on Trajans Column, a monumental column in Rome commemorating the emperor Marcus Aurelius. ... Nickname: Motto: SPQR: Senatus Populusque Romanus Location of the city of Rome (yellow) within the Province of Rome (red) and region of Lazio (grey) Coordinates: Region Lazio Province Province of Rome Founded 21 April 753 BC Government  - Mayor Walter Veltroni Area  - City 1,285 km²  (580 sq mi)  - Urban 5... Events March 7 - Roman emperor Antoninus Pius dies and is succeeded by co-Emperors Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Titus Aurelius Fulvus Boionius Arrius Antoninus Pius (September 19, 86–March 7, 161) was Roman emperor from 138 to 161. ... The Campus Martius, or Field of Mars, was a publicly owned area of ancient Rome about 2 km² (600 acres) in extent. ... Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Augustus (April 26, 121[1] – March 17, 180) was Roman Emperor from 161 to his death. ... Lucius Ceionius Commodus Verus Armeniacus (December 15, 130 – 168), known simply as Lucius Verus, was Roman co-emperor with Marcus Aurelius (161–180), from 161 until his death. ...

History

Construction

The column itself was 14.75 metres high and 1.90m in diameter and was constructed of red granite, with no decorating reliefs as on the otherwise similar columns of Trajan and Marcus Aurelius. It was quarried out in 106 (as shown by the masons' inscription on its lower end, IG xiv.2421.1). Architecturally it belonged to the Ustrinum (q.v.), 25 metres north of it on the same orientation, with the main apotheosis scene facing in that direction, and was surmounted by a statue of Antoninus, as is represented on coins issued after his death (Cohen, Ant. Pius 353‑6). Close-up of granite from Yosemite National Park, valley of the Merced River Quarrying granite for the Mormon Temple, Utah Territory. ... Trajans Column is a monument in Rome raised by Apollodorus of Damascus at the order of the Senate. ... Modelled on Trajans Column, a monumental column in Rome commemorating the emperor Marcus Aurelius. ...

Rediscovery

Previous to the 18th century the base was completely buried, but the lower part of the shaft projected about 6m above the ground. In 1703, when some buildings were demolished in the area of Montecitorio, the rest of the column and the base were discovered and excavated. The column was raised from the ground by Carlo Fontana's son Francesco (1668-1708), but no decision was made about its use. It, thus, remained lying on the ground under some sheds, and was finally damaged by fire in 1759. Unsuccessful attempts were made to repair it soon afterwards in 1764, with some pieces from it being used in 1789 to restore the obelisk of Augustus that is now in the Piazza di Monte Citorio. (17th century - 18th century - 19th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 18th century refers to the century that lasted from 1701 through 1800. ... Carlo Fontana (Bruciato, Canton Ticino, 1634 or 1638 - Roma 1714) was an Italian architect, sculptor, engineer and author of important writings on the St. ... 1764 was a leap year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... 1789 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ...

Meanwhile the base (of white Italian marble) was restored in 1706-08 and erected in the centre of Piazza di Montecitorio by Ferdinando Fuga in 1741, before being taken to the Vatican Museums in 1787, where it has been in the Michelangelo niche in the Cortile della Pigna from 1885 to ?. The base is currently in the courtyard outside the entrance to the Vatican Pinacoteca. Venus de Milo, front. ... Ferdinando Fugas façade of Santa Maria Maggiore, completed 1743, depicted by Giovanni Paolo Pannini Ferdinando Fuga (Florence 1699– Rome 1781) was a Florentine architect, whose main works were realized in Rome and Naples. ... Entrance to the museum Staircase of the Vatican Museum The Vatican Museums (Musei Vaticani) are the public art and sculpture museums in the Vatican City, which display works from the extensive collection of the Roman Catholic Church. ...

Base iconography

One side of the base has a dedicatory inscription (CIL vi.1004), two sides record the funerary decursio or decursus (a ceremony performed by the Roman cavalry), and one side shows the apotheosis or ascent to the gods of the emperor and his wife . The Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum (CIL) is a comprehensive collection of ancient Latin inscriptions. ... Look up Apotheosis in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Apotheosis scene

A winged genius (or sometimes identified as Aion, Eternity) carries Antoninus and his wife Faustina to Heaven. The Emperor holds a sceptre crowned with an eagle, whilst eagles also surround them. Image File history File links Antoninus_Pius_Columna. ... In Roman mythology, every man had a genius and every woman a juno (Juno was also the name for the queen of the gods). ... This does not cite its references or sources. ... Annia Galeria Faustina, better known as Faustina the Elder, (died c. ...

The personified male figure (left) holding the obelisk represents the Campus Martius. Augustus had placed this obelisk there as a sundial and it was the site of the ritual of the imperial deification. The personified female figure in armour (right) saluting the emperor and empress represents Roma, and her shield depicts the legendary founders of Rome, Romulus and Remus, suckled by a wolf. The Campus Martius, or Field of Mars, was a publicly owned area of ancient Rome about 2 km² (600 acres) in extent. ... There are eight ancient Egyptian and five ancient Roman obelisks in Rome, together with a number of more modern obelisks; there was also formerly (until 2005) an ancient Ethiopian obelisk in Rome. ... Wall sundial-a vertical direct south dial Wall sundial in Warsaws Old Town- a vertical south west decliner dial A sundial is a device that measures time by the position of the Sun. ... This coin struck under Philip the Arab to celebrate Saeculum Novum bears, on the reverse, a temple devoted to the goddess Roma In Roman mythology, Roma was a deity personifying the Roman state, or an personification in art of the city of Rome (as seen on the column of Antoninus... This page describes the ancient heroes who founded the city of Rome. ...

Decursio

On these two almost identical sides, members of the cavalry circle the standing figures, two carrying military standards and the rest fully armored. Lacking a sense of space and perspective, these scenes are often criticized for their lack of stylistic sophistication. Instead of naturalism, both a bird's eye view of the circular manoeuvre and a ground-level view of each figure are provided.

External links

• http://www.bluffton.edu/~sullivanm/romanpius/romanpius.html , for images
• Columna Antonini Pii
• History of its restoration

Sources

• Mitt. 1889, 41‑48
• S.Sculpt. 270‑3
• SScR 249‑253; LS iii.145
• Amelung, Kat. Vat. i. pp. 883‑893
• Vogel, L., The Column of Antoninus Pius, Harvard University Press, 1973