A victory column, or monumental column or triumphal column, is a
monument in the form of a
column
A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. In other words, a column is a compression member. ...
, erected in memory of a victorious
battle,
war, or
revolution. The column typically stands on a base and is crowned with a victory
symbol
A symbol is a mark, sign, or word that indicates, signifies, or is understood as representing an idea, object, or relationship. Symbols allow people to go beyond what is known or seen by creating linkages between otherwise very different conc ...
, such as a
statue
A statue is a free-standing sculpture in which the realistic, full-length figures of persons or animals are carved or cast in a durable material such as wood, metal or stone. Typical statues are life-sized or close to life-size; a sculpture t ...
. The statue may represent the goddess
Victoria; in
Germany, the female embodiment of the nation,
Germania
Germania ( ; ), also called Magna Germania (English: ''Great Germania''), Germania Libera (English: ''Free Germania''), or Germanic Barbaricum to distinguish it from the Roman province of the same name, was a large historical region in north- ...
; in the
United States either female embodiment of the nation
Liberty or
Columbia
Columbia may refer to:
* Columbia (personification), the historical female national personification of the United States, and a poetic name for America
Places North America Natural features
* Columbia Plateau, a geologic and geographic region in ...
; in the
United Kingdom, the female embodiment
Britannia, an
eagle
Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just ...
, or a war hero.
Monumental columns
List of Roman victory columns
Of the columns listed above, the following are the Roman columns.
Roman triumphal column
A victory column, or monumental column or triumphal column, is a monument in the form of a column, erected in memory of a victorious battle, war, or revolution. The column typically stands on a base and is crowned with a victory symbol, such as a ...
s were either
monolithic
pillars or composed of column drums; in the later case, these were often hollowed out to accommodate an
ancient spiral staircase leading up to the platform on top.
The earliest triumphal column was
Trajan's Column which, dedicated in 113 AD, defined its architectural form and established its symbolic value as a political monument alongside the older
Roman triumphal arch
A triumphal arch is a free-standing monumental structure in the shape of an archway with one or more arched passageways, often designed to span a road. In its simplest form a triumphal arch consists of two massive piers connected by an arch, crow ...
es, providing a lingering model for its successors to this day. The imperial capitals of
Rome and
Constantinople house the most ancient triumphal columns.
All dimensions are given here in
metres; it should be noted, however, that it was the
Roman foot by which ancient architects determined the harmonious proportions of the columns, and which is thus crucial for understanding their design. The list is sorted by date of erection.
See also
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Record-holding columns in antiquity
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List of Roman obelisks
The city of Rome harbours thirteen ancient obelisks, the most in the world. There are eight ancient Egyptian and five ancient Roman obelisks in Rome, together with a number of more modern obelisks; there was also until 2005 an ancient Ethiopia ...
*
List of Roman spiral stairs
The list of ancient spiral stairs contains a selection of Greco-Roman spiral stairs constructed during classical antiquity. The spiral stair is a type of stairway which, due to its complex helical structure, has been introduced relatively late ...
*
List of Roman triumphal arches
*
Iaat
Iaat ( ar, إيعات also transliterated as Ya'ad, Yaad, Yaat, or Iaad) is a town and municipality located approximately 5 kilometers northwest of Baalbek, in the Beqaa Valley of Lebanon. The town is famed for its Corinthian column, the Iaat ...
, near
Baalbek
Baalbek (; ar, بَعْلَبَكّ, Baʿlabakk, Syriac-Aramaic: ܒܥܠܒܟ) is a city located east of the Litani River in Lebanon's Beqaa Valley, about northeast of Beirut. It is the capital of Baalbek-Hermel Governorate. In Greek and Roman ...
, Lebanon
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Obelisk
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Rostral column
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Triumphal arch
References
Bibliography
Part of this page is based on the article
Siegessäule
The Victory Column (german: , from ''Sieg'' ‘victory’ + '' Säule'' ‘column’) is a monument in Berlin, Germany. Designed by Heinrich Strack after 1864 to commemorate the Prussian victory in the Second Schleswig War, by the time it was i ...
in the
German-language Wikipedia.
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Further reading
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External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Victory Column
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Victory column
Victory columns
Roman victory columns
Stone monuments and memorials
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Types of monuments and memorials