Column of Antoninus Pius - Wikipedia Column of Antoninus Pius From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to navigation Jump to search Honorific column devoted to Roman emperor Antoninus Pius This article includes a list of references, related reading or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (May 2015) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) The base today 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 (Italian: Colonna di Antonino Pio) is a Roman honorific column in Rome, Italy, devoted in AD 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. Contents 1 History 1.1 Construction 1.2 Rediscovery 2 Base iconography 2.1 Apotheosis scene 2.2 Decursio 3 Notes 4 Sources 5 External links History[edit] Construction[edit] Coin showing the column with surmounting statue of Antoninus The column itself was 14.75 metres (48.4 ft) high and 1.9 metres (6 ft 3 in) 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, 25 metres (82 ft) 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). Rediscovery[edit] The column's base (right foreground, showing one of the decursio sides), in Panini's 1747 painting of the Palazzo Montecitorio, with the Column of Marcus Aurelius in the background. 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 remained lying on the ground under some sheds, and was 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. 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 until its final move to its current position in the courtyard outside the entrance to the Vatican Pinacoteca. Base iconography[edit] 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 . Apotheosis scene[edit] A winged genius (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 fly upwards with them. 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 imperial deification ceremonies. 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 she-wolf. Decursio[edit] 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. The repetition of the scenes can best be explained by the fact that Antoninus Pius was succeeded by two emperors, Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus, who reigned jointly until the latter died. The decursio depictions, as well as the language on the inscription, can be taken to show a stable and justified transition to the two co-rulers. Notes[edit] Sources[edit] 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 External links[edit] Wikimedia Commons has media related to Column of Antoninus Pius. http://www.bluffton.edu/~sullivanm/romanpius/romanpius.html, for images Columna Antonini Pii History of its restoration v t e Ancient columns of Rome Column of Antoninus Pius Column of Marcus Aurelius Column of Phocas Trajan's Column List of Roman victory columns v t e Landmarks of Rome Walls and gates Aurelian Walls Ardeatina Asinaria Latina Maggiore Metronia Nomentana Pia Pinciana Popolo Portese San Pancrazio San Paolo San Giovanni San Sebastiano Settimiana Tiburtina Leonine Wall Cavalleggeri Pertusa Santo Spirito Castra Praetoria Janiculum Wall Terreus Wall Romuli Wall Servian Wall Caelimontana Dolabella Gallienus Esquilina Ancient obelisks Lateran Obelisk Flaminian Obelisk Obelisk of Minerveo Obelisk of Montecitorio Ancient Roman landmarks triumphal arches Arch of Constantine Arch of Dolabella Arch of Drusus Arch of Gallienus Arch of Janus Arch of Septimius Severus Arch of Titus Arcus Novus aqueducts Aqua Alexandrina Aqua Anio Vetus Aqua Claudia Cloaca Maxima public baths Baths of Agrippa Baths of Caracalla Baths of Diocletian Baths of Nero Baths of Trajan religious Ara Pacis Temple of Antoninus and Faustina Temple of Apollo Palatinus Temple of Apollo Sosianus Temple of Hadrian Temple of Hercules Victor Temple of Janus Temple of Minerva Medica Temple of Portunus Temple of Saturn Temple of Vesta House of the Vestals Largo di Torre Argentina Lupercal Pantheon Porta Maggiore Basilica fora Roman Forum Imperial fora Forum of Augustus Forum of Caesar Forum of Nerva Forum of Vespasian Forum of Trajan Forum Boarium Forum Holitorium civic Basilica Argentaria Basilica Julia Basilica of Junius Bassus Basilica of Maxentius Basilica of Neptune Basilica Ulpia Comitium Curia Julia Portico Dii Consentes Porticus Octaviae Tabularium entertainment Auditorium of Maecenas Circus Maximus Circus of Maxentius Circus of Nero Colosseum Ludus Magnus Gardens of Sallust Stadium of Domitian Theatre of Marcellus Theatre of Pompey palaces and villae Domus Augustana Domus Aurea Domus Transitoria Flavian Palace House of Augustus Palace of Domitian Villa Gordiani Villa of Livia Insula dell'Ara Coeli Villa of the Quintilii Villa of the sette bassi column monuments Column of Antoninus Pius Column of Marcus Aurelius "Column of Phocas" Trajan's Column "Decennalia column" "Five-column monument" commerce Porticus Aemilia Trajan's Market tombs Casal Rotondo Catacombs of Domitilla Catacombs of Rome Catacombs of San Sebastiano Columbarium of Pomponius Hylas Mausoleum of Augustus Mausoleum of Helena Mausoleum of Maxentius Pyramid of Cestius Tomb of Eurysaces the Baker Tomb of Hilarus Fuscus Tomb of the Scipios Tombs of Via Latina Tomb of Priscilla Vigna Randanini bridges Pons Cestius Pons Fabricius Milvian Bridge Ponte Sant'Angelo Roman Catholic Basilicas Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran Basilica of Saint Mary Major Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls S. 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12.47611 Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Column_of_Antoninus_Pius&oldid=1013377813" Categories: 161 2nd-century Roman sculptures Antoninus Pius Buildings and structures completed in the 2nd century Cultural depictions of Romulus and Remus Monumental columns in Rome Roman victory columns Sculptures of Greco-Roman mythology She-wolf (Roman mythology) Roman sculpture portraits of emperors Hidden categories: Articles with short description Short description matches Wikidata Articles lacking in-text citations from May 2015 All articles lacking in-text citations Articles containing Italian-language text Commons category link from Wikidata Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers Wikipedia articles with WorldCat-VIAF identifiers Coordinates on Wikidata Navigation menu Personal tools Not logged in Talk Contributions Create account Log in Namespaces Article Talk Variants Views Read Edit View history More Search Navigation Main page Contents Current events Random article About Wikipedia Contact us Donate Contribute Help Learn to edit Community portal Recent changes Upload file Tools What links here Related changes Upload file Special pages Permanent link Page information Cite this page Wikidata item Print/export Download as PDF Printable version In other projects Wikimedia Commons Languages Български Deutsch Français Հայերեն Italiano עברית Nederlands 日本語 Polski Português Русский Svenska 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 21 March 2021, at 09:06 (UTC). 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