Columna Traiani – Traian´s Column.

On 12th May 2013 the dedication day of Traians Column in Rome was celebrated for the nineteen hundredth time. This anniversary provided the perfect occasion to fully appreciate the outstanding significance of this unique monument by means of an international conference, especially from the perspective of the traditional academic disciplines of Ancient History and Classical Archeology, including many disciplines such as Art History, Religious Studies, Epigraphy, Numismatics, Material Culture Studies and Visual Culture Studies. Traians Column is a showpiece of the material and visual culture of the Imperium Romanum. Created in a distinct historical situation, it was innovative in many ways, but at the same time rooted in a long tradition. It very quickly developed an enormous and lasting impact: as a monument of the city of Rome and an important component of a square, the forum of Traian, of the highest political- ideological symbolic power; as an impressive image carrier; as a permanent document of the achievements of the best emperor (optimus princeps) Traian; as visualization of the Dacian Wars, the Dacians and the founding of the province of Dacia; as a monument of representation and self- assurance of the Roman civilization and world order by overcoming barbaric chaos; also as an exceptional funerary monument (regarding this question the scientific world is, however, not unanimous) and ultimately also as the starting point of a long tradition of adopting this type of monument, from the column of Marcus Aurelius to the pillars of the Karlskirche in Vienna and on Place Vendôme in Paris and even beyond. The column was created amidst the rivalries of various protagonists and groups. These included the emperor and his advisers as commissioners, the "senate and people of Rome" as the official donors, the actual architects and artisans, as well as the intended audience, the visitors of the forum of Traian, Romans, peregrini and strangers from all parts of the Roman world. The intention behind the terms "Siegesmonument" and "Kriegsbericht in Bildern" in the title of the volume is to point at the most urgent question regarding the interpretation of the column: To what extent are the representations on the frieze picturing reality and to what extent are they manifestations of a cultural construct or medium for conveying political-ideological messages? In this respect there is no communis opinio in the scientific world. During the conference, the manifold opinions became visible again, caused by the different approaches of Ancient History, on the one hand, which regards the column as a reality depicting source for the Dacian wars, and Classical Archeology, on the other hand, which places emphasis on the constructive character of the individual scenes and the iconographic program as a whole. However, the debate has contributed to a further precision of the problem. In this respect the volume is an important step in the study of this unique monument of Roman artistry.