(artists unknown, located in Rome, Italy) (113 to 116 or after 117). Trajan’s Column [marble relief].

Trajan’s Column is the precursor to the comic book. The entire campaign for the Roman conquest of Dacia is documented in a series of scenes (cells) that progress in roughly linear time to the pinnacle. The consistent progression of events is simply ingenious, reminding a modern spectator of the masterfully choreographed date scene in Scorsese’s Goodfellas. As with all works commissioned by the state, objectively it is nothing more than propaganda. None of Trajan’s setbacks are reasonably depicted. Individual figures are developed in a realistic style reminiscent of the south façade of the Ara Pacis. 

Conflict is not the only action captured; so too are mundane activities like logistics and fort building, which in turn are commentary on the achievements of the Army and their commander. This work’s relationship to the observer is not literal nor is it detached. It’s relationship to reality similarly straddles the fantastical divide. The lower half of registers, each about three feet high, were intended to be studied from ground-level. The upper registers, about four feet each, were designed for viewing from the elevated galleries at the time. It also serves as a tomb for the emperor and his wife, Pompeia Plotina. 

Design is evident to consolidate the figures, their interactions and events within the limitations of the registers. Rhythm between figurative and mechanical, artificial areas is clearly installed. A mild form of hieratic scale creates a size difference between contextual elements and scene subjects. More than any other principle, careful attention is paid to patterning and formal pacing. Formal and conceptual order support the narrative function of this monument masterfully. Trajan’s Column represents compositional sophistication in visual expression parallel to the Roman culture’s prosecution of conquest and will to organize the wilderness.