Rome to 'paint' Trajan's Column with light

UPI ^ | March 22, 2008 | unattributed

[SunkenCiv]

Archaeologists want to use light to recreate the brilliant colors once seen on Trajan's Column in Rome.

The chaste white of Roman temples and monuments is a product of centuries of wear that has removed the original paint. The archaeology department in Rome is discussing the technical details of creating a light beam that would temporarily repaint the column, with the power company Acea and researchers at Rome University, the Italian news agency Ansa reported.

Under the plan, the column would be illuminated on weekends for a few minutes every hour.

"Nothing acts like light to deepen our understanding, activating our emotional brain," said Maurizio Anastasi, head of the technical office in the city archaeology department.

The column was erected in A.D. 113 to celebrate Trajan's two successful campaigns against the Dacians, depicted in carved relief. Trajan, who reigned from 98 to 117, pushed the boundaries of the Roman Empire to their farthest extent.

[SunkenCiv]

This actually sounds like a great idea. I also think it would be great to make holograms of all artifacts to make it possible to display irreplaceable ancient stuff in a virtual way -- and of course, to display it simultaneously in multiple places. It could pave the way to a viewer-directed exhibition playing in every museum in the world. :')

[SunkenCiv]

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[Vanders9]

With the added advantage that they could change the displays as and when new research indicates they should!

[NYer]

(VRoma: Lisanne Marshall)

Typical among outstanding historical reliefs are those on the column of the emperor Trajan, erected during his lifetime in AD 113 in the forum which bears his name, to celebrate his conquest, and acquisition for the empire, of Dacia. It is 30 metres high, with a staircase inside lit by forty-three slit windows.

Trajan’s column, detail.(VRoma: Leslie Flood)

A spiral band about 1 metre deep and 200 metres long winds twenty-three times round the shaft from bottom to top, carrying 155 continuous scenes. Though there is not a great deal of attention given to perspective, the effect is of activity and action in which there are more than 2500 different human figures.

The story of Trajan’s campaign is built up stage by stage, from the commissioning of the army, its march and crossing of the fast-moving Danube on a bridge which took a year to construct, through preparations for the fighting, the siege, and battle, to the grim aftermath of the torture of prisoners-of-war and the suicide of the Dacian chief.

[jalisco555]

The level of detail on this column is just amazing. Although it was propaganda the Romans had no problem showing war in all it’s brutality.

[SunkenCiv]

Nice photos, thanks!

[SunkenCiv]

...and that could be done as layers, so the succeeding interpretations and whatnot could be seen.

[SunkenCiv]

Trajan brought the Empire to its all-time financial peak, yet despite its decline from that point on, it tottered along for over 200 years (and 1200 years in the east).

[Hyzenthlay]

Yeah, it sounds awesome. I really want to take a trip to Europe some day before I’m old and have a full-time job and no energy to do things like that.

[SunkenCiv]

If you want to do it, do it while you’re young(er than me). I wanted to take a year off before college and head to Europe, travel by Eurailpass, stay in hostels, see everything. Windows of opportunity close fast. :’)

[jalisco555]

Trajan brought the Empire to its all-time financial peak, yet despite its decline from that point on, it tottered along for over 200 years (and 1200 years in the east).

I always thought Trajan was over-rated. His conquest of Dacia was costly, unnecessary and saddled the Empire with a province it ultimately couldn't hold. And his wars in the East didn't amount to anything in the long run.

[Hyzenthlay]

My good friend did that after she graduated, but I don’t think I was quite suited to travel Europe right after graduating high school (I was 16 when I legally graduated, but she was 19 when she went). If I do it, I think a ‘summer abroad’ program or a class that involves a trip to Europe (there’s a couple history classes and an engineering class about Da Vinci) would be the best option.

[Sherman Logan]

the Romans had no problem showing war in all it’s brutality.

Of course they had no problem with it. They were proud of their brutality.

[SunkenCiv]

That does sound like a good idea. There’s a lot of Euro-study programs arranged by US universities nowadays, even beyond language programs.

[SunkenCiv]

Dacia loaded Rome’s coffers with gold. Hadrian wanted to abandon it, but was talked out of it, and Aurelian — a later emperor who rescued the empire from a third century demise, despite a short reign — was born there. Hadrian did abandon Trajan’s last conquest, that of Mesopotamia. Trajan had in mind the defeat and conquest of Parthia, but died unexpectedly after (figuratively) washing his weapons in the Persian Gulf. The only reason Hadrian could travel in peace for much of the time he ruled, and indulge his appetites for young boys while persecuting the Jews was that Trajan and other ambitious and able emperors had preceded him.

[FreedomCalls]

This actually sounds like a great idea. I also think it would be great to make holograms of all artifacts to make it possible to display irreplaceable ancient stuff in a virtual way -- and of course, to display it simultaneously in multiple places. It could pave the way to a viewer-directed exhibition playing in every museum in the world. :')

That's actually been done. I saw a Russian hologram exhibition of Scythian gold artifacts in London. It actually worked out pretty well. They were obviously holograms, but you could see the objects in full 3D with just a small loss of fine detail.

[Vanders9]

So true! An even better idea!

[Vanders9]

So true! An even better idea!

[jalisco555]

Dacia loaded Rome’s coffers with gold.

True, but he also loaded Rome with a province that jutted out into hostile territory and was surrounded on three sides by enemies. It was a defense and security nightmare and had to be abandoned during the Third Century Crisis. As for his eastern wars, well, despite his pretensions of being the next Alexander these ultimately amounted to nothing. Since you mentioned Hadrian, the fact that he was able (with the assistance of Trajan's widow) to seize power can be attributed to Trajan's failure to plan for the succession. All in all, a less than stellar reign IMHO. The column, however, is an amazing work of art and propaganda and should be seen by everyone. I've been there twice.

[SunkenCiv]

...defense and security nightmare and had to be abandoned during the Third Century Crisis.

Then it was a 165 year long nightmare, about the length of time since the Mexican War. Time to abandon Texas, it's a defense and security nightmare.

Dacia had been a hostile, independent neighbor, and was rich. Rome defeated it, got a pile of gold and a gold mine, and wound up with a necessary buffer state. The abandonment of Dacia was a result of, not the cause, of the turmoil of the 3rd century.

Constantine reasserted Roman control over at least part of it, and despite being a route of ingress from the steppes, a Roman-Byzantine identity persisted at least into the early 7th century. The modern Romanian language is a legacy.

As for his eastern wars, well, despite his pretensions of being the next Alexander these ultimately amounted to nothing.

I guess he planned his own death, then? :')