Discover Column of Marcus Aurelius

The Column of Marcus Aurelius rises at the centre of the square of the same name, and Turismo Roma records that it was made between 180 AD, the year of Marcus Aurelius's death, and 193 AD, the construction work being completed by Commodus, the emperor's son and successor.

It was modelled on Trajan's Column. It stands 100 Roman feet high — about thirty metres — on a base of 12 metres made up of a plinth and a basement on which the honorific inscription was engraved, today vanished.

Its base lost its sculpture in the sixteenth century. The basement was decorated with reliefs, lost in the restoration carried out by Domenico Fontana in 1589 on the commission of Pope Sixtus V — and on that same occasion the bronze statue of Saint Paul was placed on the summit.

The shaft is the monument. The column is of the Doric order and composed of 28 cylindrical blocks of Luna marble, the white marble of Carrara, carved with relief friezes which, in a series of spiral turns, recall the military campaigns of Marcus Aurelius against the Germans (172-173) and the Sarmatians (174-175), the two separated by a winged Victory.

The story is read upward. It unwinds from the bottom towards the top and begins with the crossing of the Danube on a bridge of boats; then follow scenes of marches, of the building of camps, of battles, of sieges and of speeches to the troops.

And it is hollow. A spiral staircase, lit by slits, runs up the inside, while the basement carries an inscription that wrongly attributes the column to Antoninus Pius — whence the belief that it was the Colonna Antonina.

It is Doric, and it is assembled. Turismo Roma records that the column is of the Doric order and composed of 28 cylindrical blocks of Luna marble, the white marble of Carrara, carved with relief friezes in a series of spiral turns.

Its proportions are quoted in Roman feet. It is 100 Roman feet high — about thirty metres — supported by a base of 12 metres, made up of a plinth and a basement.

The design is openly derivative. The column is inspired by Trajan's Column, which set the form of the continuous helical narrative in Rome.

It is hollow and was meant to be climbed. A spiral staircase, lit by slits, runs up the interior — the slits are the small dark openings visible on the shaft from the square.

Two later interventions define what you see. The reliefs of the basement were lost in Domenico Fontana's restoration of 1589 for Sixtus V, and on the same occasion the bronze statue of Saint Paul was placed on the summit.

The work began at a succession. The column was made between 180 AD, the year of Marcus Aurelius's death, and 193 AD, and the construction was completed by Commodus, his son and successor — a monument begun for a dead emperor and finished as a statement by the living one.

It was stacked from drums. 28 cylindrical blocks of Luna marble — Carrara stone — were raised one on another to 100 Roman feet on a 12-metre base, and the spiral frieze was then carried across the joints.

The carving was planned as a narrative. The relief unwinds from the bottom upwards, opening with the crossing of the Danube on a bridge of boats and continuing through marches, the building of camps, battles, sieges and speeches to the troops, with a winged Victory marking the division between the German and the Sarmatian campaigns.

An internal stair was built into the shaft. It is a spiral staircase lit by slits, which is why the column is hollow and why small openings punctuate the carved surface.

Its last building campaign was a subtraction. In 1589 Domenico Fontana, working for Sixtus V, restored it: the basement reliefs were lost and the bronze Saint Paul went up.

Is there a charge? No. It stands in a public square and Turismo Roma publishes no price and no ticket link.

What are the opening hours? None are published, because there is nothing to open.

When was it built? Between 180 AD, the year of Marcus Aurelius's death, and 193 AD, with the work completed by Commodus, his son and successor.

How tall is it? 100 Roman feet — about thirty metres — on a base of 12 metres.

What is it made of? 28 cylindrical blocks of Luna marble, the white marble of Carrara, in the Doric order.

What does the frieze show? The campaigns of Marcus Aurelius against the Germans (172-173) and the Sarmatians (174-175), the two separated by a winged Victory.

Where does the story start? At the bottom, with the crossing of the Danube on a bridge of boats; then come marches, the building of camps, battles, sieges and speeches to the troops.

Who is the statue on top? Saint Paul, in bronze, placed there in 1589 when Domenico Fontana restored the column for Pope Sixtus V.

What happened to the base? Its reliefs were lost in that same 1589 restoration, and the honorific inscription that was engraved on it has vanished.

Why is it also called the Colonna Antonina? Because the basement carries an inscription that wrongly attributes the column to Antoninus Pius.

Can I go inside? There is a spiral staircase lit by slits running up the interior, but the city publishes nothing about visiting it.

Where is it? Piazza Colonna, on the Corso.