-Almost the size of all the other imperial forms put together -Ceremonial entranceway that leads into the forum
--Built with the booty collected from Trajan's victory over the Dacians -Large central plaza flanked by stoa-like buildings on each side -Originally held an equestrian monument dedicated to Trajan in the center -part of a complex includes: the Basilica of Ulpia, the markets of Trajan, and the column of Trajan
-Civic space -Ceremonial space -to represent the power of Trajan
Context
-*barrel vault *groin vault *clerestory *taberna *concrete & brick construction -Market of Trajan: Original market had 150 shops, a multilevel mall, Semi-circular building that held several levels of shops -main space groin vaulted, barrel-vaulted shops
-128 feet high, 625-foot narrative wrapped around the column telling the story of the Trajans defeat of the Dacians. -150 episodes; 2500 figures 23 registers -Crowd composition -Luna marble
--Scholarly debate over the way it was meant to be viewed -Column meant to be entered -> visitor to wander up to the interior spiral staircase to the viewing platform -> at the top where it has a heroic nude statue of the emperor
-Burial chamber of Trajan -Ashes were in the base -Narrates two campaigns that Trajan fought the Dacians
Context
--To celebrate the greatness of the people of Rome, the empire, their ingenuity, and their ability to build -The building of the column was extremely hard