The Strangest Scenes on Trajan's Column
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- čas přidán 12. 10. 2023
- Mysterious machines, dragons, skulls on spikes...there's a lot going on in the details of Trajan's Column at Rome.
Check out my other channels: @toldinstone and @scenicroutestothepast
What gets me is that these are true 3D reliefs and not concave depictions. So instead of a person being depicted pictorially carved into the rock, the rock is carved away around the persons and figurines. That takes so much skill, vision, and precision. And the level of detail is staggering. Master stone carvers at work!
Yes, absolutely astonishing. The sculpture-workshops must have had comprehensive, fully worked-out training methods in order to equip the students with the skills to master the craft. It kind of makes nonsense of the notion of 'ancient history.' This is really modern history . . .
they didn't have internet at that time...
Is it marble? The detail and that it survives so clear is incredible!
An absolute piece of art, not only that but such a wealth of information about life and customs in 2nd and 3rd century AD.
History is always written by the victors.
The fire extinguisher at 1:22 next to the scene where Roman soldiers are setting fire is perfect
Lol, good sense of humor
That’s actually a replica fire extinguisher
Good spotting! 😄
Wow I’ve never really noticed the scale of Trajan’s Column, the detail is immaculate.
It has stairs in the middle and you can walk to the top. It's massive. There's a video on youtube about it where they climb to the top. Check it out.
Not any more. The casts were taken before the acid pollution of industry had a chance to really smooth out the column, so the casts are in much better shape and show more detail than the original column in Rome now does.
And the original...was painted.
Like everything else in those days.
@@daveweiss5647 If you want more, look up Darius Arya or Ancient Rome Live. Good channels. In one, he goes to the top of the column.
@@daveweiss5647 Interesting. I wish I'd known that when we visited Rome in 2011. I think I could spend days just analyzing and documenting all the detailed activities depicted. Then there's the skill of the carvers or artists.
What has always amazed me about the Roman sculpture is how they accurately depicted their rulers, and I'm sure whomever else they were crafting a sculpture for. After visiting Rome and Naples and going to the various museums I started easily recognizing the Emperors from their busts. In this video review of Trajan's column, while watching I was like, oh there's Trajan. If he were walking down the street today I could pick him out from a crowd.
You would enjoy the Uffizi. On the 3rd floor you will meet them in person, eye to eye.
@@trespire Sadly I have never been to the Uffizi. The time I was in Firenze it was May Day and the museum was closed. I will definitely plan a visit there some day.
The Romans showed the way the person looked and the Greeks showed what their ideal looked like.
If you compare it with Christian icons, you will see the degree of cultural degradation. Religion is evil.
According to Netflix Roman's were black and sheeeit.
The scene with the so-called lumber yard…you say that two men are sawing wood amongst the stacks. What it actually shows are two legionnaires manning a Ballista- an artillery piece, in what looks like a substantial wood fortification. If you look behind the ballista, you’ll see other legionaries lined up in full armour, also within the wooden piles.
Also known as a scorpio (scorpion), it shot bolts, like a large crossbow. Its torsion springs are housed in the two tubular casings on either side.
I recognized that too! Wondered why he would make such a mistake
@@viciousyeen6644 he's extremely amateurish, making lots of wrong assumptions throughout the whole video
@@viciousyeen6644 called the Sarmatian's bow a sling too...
I'm thinking the unidentified equipment may be ballistae, perhaps not completely assembled - just the 3 wheels and the frame, with the barrel like items above them being the remaining parts.
It's like looking at an old photo album and trying to sort out what is happening. So interesting to see how they portrayed themselves
Yeah, thats exactly what we are doing.... Trying to figure out what's happening on old photos.
It's nice of them to not kill the guys who would have to remember what happened to then carve the events
I never get tired of Roman relief sculpture. So clever in their use of depth and forced perspective.
Amazes me that ordinary folk can look at these scenes of psychotic torture and warmongery and think, oh how lovely, the detail is fantastic
@@mattfinish-kg3bl Lol. That's because you're a virtue-signalling loudmouth philistine.
IT didn't originate with the Romans.
They used the knowledge from the empires the preceded them.
Greeks borrowed from Persia; Persia borrowed from Assyria;
Assyria borrowed from Mesopotamia; Mesopotamia borrowed from Egypt.
@@BORN-to-Run Yeah, they stole from everyone, usually improving the ideas. Art, architecture, warfare, execution methods, religion, mythology etc. rinse and repeat. Proper magpies.
@@mattfinish-kg3blcan you not appreciate the artistry of the sculptor(s) and the historical value of the scenes, without condoning or glorifying the acts depicted therein?
At 2:20 , that is the one of the only places that bearded Roman soldiers appear. I suspect those are Dacians being tortured. They also show up as bearded when the heads are being given to Trajen and other places. It seems out of context to have Romans being tortured next to an awards ceremony as well. IDK. Just looks like that to me. Also, they might just be slaves be handed out as prizes too. I don't see that they are definitely being tortured.
Traianus ... not Traydshn
Captives being examined by ugly Roman women who will take them as playthings. D=
They are 100% being torchered.
They didn't seem to be enjoying themselves.
not sure about that. Dacians weren't showed as tortured, rather standing tall with their hats on. History is tricky, but from what we "know" Dacians rather killed themselves than letting themselves tortured... There was pride and an honor in them to die and meet their God, so why would they endure torture, that's my question...
One of the scenes brought to mind a quote from Kipling's The Young British Soldier:
When you're wounded and left on Afghanistan's plains,
And the women come out to cut up what remains,
Jest roll to your rifle and blow out your brains
An' go to your Gawd like a soldier.
That's why I really admire the US doctrine "leave no man behind" I can't imagine the sheer horror of being left behind for the demented fantasies of some leery Levantine lunatic!
What amazes me the most is how they could carve out such detailed figures in such a small scale must have been a master stone carver doing the work
if they had social media, believe me they'd have accomplished nothing like these creations 😜
They had concrete. Maybe the original was carved from wax and a mold was made from that. To my understanding some very intricate bronze statues were made with that method also
@@edjackson4389 the column is made entirely of Carrara marble. No molds or concrete were used!
You are American I suppose. You don't know exactly where is the column and from what is made!@@edjackson4389
It was made by order of the emperor so i guess they spared no spent and they went straight for the best sculptors of the empire
The seige engine devices are wall hammers. Ancient walls didn't use mortar. They used interlocks and relied on downward pressure from the weight above for their sturdiness. Wall hammers were effective in reducing walls similarly to battering rams but by removing layers from top to bottom. They worked similarly to the much later Trebuchet tech using counter balances to give momentum to the swing action of the hammer.
Hi, its not that I doubt you. I find this very interessing, but could you tell me lf other exemples of these sieges engines ? I'm not trolling, its a geniune question !
I was wondering if it could be something like this!
Hi, if you consider the design (assuming the depiction is accurate) then it makes sense. Also I suspect it was quite uneconomical in terms of manpower loss. A battering ram would be more protected and you can probably also work out the genesis of the trebuchet as a better stand off weapon.
@@zachary8491 it is the only depiction I have seen of this weapon and is likely a failed prototype, much like the German Elefant on the eastern front in WW2.
@@dalemckenzie4468 thanks for the reply
3:39 the two men aren’t hard at work sawing wood.
They’re operating a scorpion (ballista) with its unmistakeable iron cross-brace, whilst surrounded by wooden gabions filled with earth.
They’re part of siege works besieging a Dacian town
I don't see any wood being cut there either... And I have seen one of these ballistas being made as accurately as possible and it looked VERY IDENTICAL TO THAT CARVING...
3:40
That's very likely NOT a lumber yard.
In the middle the two soldiers are NOT sawing, They are manning a ballista.
So this is a field fortification of some sort.
This rises the question of dacian artillery!
This is definitely a scene of Roman soldiers and engineers building and manning a fortification built “log cabin” style out of logs. The very modern for the time steel framed ballista is earlier shown on a cart. I doubt the Dacians had artillery. At this time each legion had dedicated ballista units along as a matter of course. I have built slightly larger ones of the earlier wooden framed variety. They are awesome for point defense.
They are probably building a ballista with the timber wood cutters just brought
@@the98themperoroftheholybri33 The Carroballistas were Iron framed and made in Legionary workshops back in the Imperial territories. They are probably building the fort walls.
You know I'm thinking the Dacians may well have had ballistas as part of their fortifications thanks to Domitian "lending" them Roman engineers as part of his craven peace deal. They were supposed to be building fortifications to help repel northern invaders but, yeah of course they ended up being part of the defences against Trajan. So with Roman engineers, yeah they could have had ballistas as well.@@evanmorris1178
A guess: the portable barricade thing is instead a portable aqueduct made of rigid pipes with barrels for flexible joints. It is held up by portable cranes with wheels at each corner to make them easier to move around. No idea why you would need that much water in a siege though.
Interesting suggestion. Large amounts of water could be used for flooding some area, either for flooding the enemy, or for transporting some equipment, f.ex. over swampy area, if the water level is raised? It could be interesting to know exactly where this strange equipment was used, and what terrain is found there.
I immediately thought of water raised up in barrels and pipes too! it looks like some form of irrigation for sure
I did think it looks like a pivot irrigation system. An aqueduct is cool idea. Able to dispense water or wine en masse to hundreds of thirty troops.👍
In active conditions a soldier requires ~ 1 gallon of water a day to sustain themselves and replace water lost due to exertion. You can get by with less but you'll suffer more and more heat and fatigue casualties if you cannot adequately supply water to your soldiers. 5,000 Soldiers per legion give or take = 5,000 gallons of water per day per legion. Horses will need significantly more. That's just drinking water. That doesn't include cooking water, cleaning water, latrine water etc. etc.
There are also water needs for the camp followers, prisoners, etc. etc.
So if an army is going to be in one spot for a long time and not moving from water to water or foraging in a large area it makes a lot of sense to have the ability to bring in large amounts of water to holding ponds.
By Jove I think we’ve cracked it.🧐🤣 l though there’s no outlets shown. Unless it’s part of a Syphon set up. The barrels could be settling tanks.
Interesting detail. When the Romans fought the Dacians, they allied with one of the Sarmatian groups. The Sarmatians were known for their intricate body armors, which were made of metal plates or slices of horse hoofs. These armors were flexible and provided great freedom and movement, while protecting against piercing and bludgeoning injuries. This made the Sarmatians much more formidable in battle than most other tribes or peoples.
Most representations in books are incorrect. They show them with very fine armor plates, making it look as if they're wearing chainmail. However, the plates were said to be larger than coins, perhaps the size of an egg.
Yes, it was scale armour. The same style was used by the Byzantine cataphracti a few centuries later.
more of a scale mail. an interesting theory made valid was the army of Alexander the Great and the type of armor worn. some one had figured out that they wore a woven fabric that was a lacquer/glue holding it together in layers that was light and could actually withstand an arrow at close ranges
@@daxconnell7661 Ya the Inca used armor made of cotton, and the Spanish said it was so good against arrows that they’d seen Incans with so many arrows sticking out of their armor that they looked like porcupines, yet they were uninjured and still fighting.
@@daxconnell7661That's called Linothorax armour and was a standard, widely used type of armour during the Classical and Hellenistic periods (mainly used by Greeks, but also by other cultures).
The Roman overwhelm them with the numbers, no body armor could helped them.
The boring answer is likely the real one: they probably depict "embolon", which is a specific form of "testuggine" shaped to be somewhat pointy, like the front of a boat. They were used to deflect bigger projectiles (think barrels, big boulders, wheel carts, etc..) that may be thrown over the walls by the defenders in places where they could roll down the steep terrain. You can see the spikes on the wider back, meant to get the thing stuck on the ground, and the spikes on the back wheel also meant to fixate it, since it has to hold an impact form big objects. It is clearly position in a place where the wall is higher, up some hill.
A greater feat of siege engineering such as flame-throwers, portable water sources, or explosive implements would have been depicted in all its glory, in use, and not abandoned near the walls like an afterthought.
“It’s probably something boring”
Proceeds to describe a mobile fort armed with flamethrowers
@@AnkhAnanku to clarify: no sources that I know of indicate embolon where ever fitted with flamethrowers, and in fact I've suggested that there is nothing even remotely close to some cool flamethrower bit of technology depicted here, based on the assumption that such a feat would have been more enthusiastically depicted. The fact that this implement is depicted in such a mundane manner, with no fanfare and no one manning it, suggests it was a rather common and passive defensive structure, such as the aforementioned embolon.
Structural integrity would reasonably well explain why some wheels are up and others below the frame. It would only make sense in any fairly static application that tries to redirect forces. It would probably have been raised from cart wheels, barrels and cart beams quickly. Barrels and wheels filled up with sand quickly. Reasonably well explains the detail inlay engraving. Also explains well why all segments are clearly connected at the top. We also should expect all relevant parts to be completely depicted. Plus the depiction would have to be critical to the specific siege to make it onto the columns limited space.
You can rule out anything like portable water system, where the top wheel have no purpose reflected by the other wheels odd arrangement. Also everything movable, where the wheel alignment front and back of the frame makes no sense at all. It would leave only things that do actually benefit from the discs in the frame in a differently offset layer alignment. Assuming the perspective is deliberately chosen like all other perspectives are. That doesn't leave much room for fit for purpose that was 100% relevant and crucial to siege a specific location and honor the combat engineers victory contribution.
1:57 Sarmatian cataphracts shooting their slings as they flee??!! They were armed with bows not slings.
Not according too this apparently
@@ryanvouche254that's clearly a bow
That object with the wheels looks like something that gets drags out on water while the barrels float above. As the barrels are pulled over the water, the wheels drag down on the floor of the river and have locks that prevents them from going backwards. This may have been used to build bridges, or act as a temporary pier for boats near shallow waters.
I like that.....explains the barrels (see my post). The three prongs would dig into the river bottom and hold the structure steady.
@@bobpourri9647 - It might also explain why it’s on the outside of the castle walls, next to a moat.
Possibility, but we can only see what appears to be a blade sticking out of the wheels at the left side... ( I am thinking of the chariots in Ben Hur )... And the barrel at the right, ( next to the mans back ) is lower than the others shown... With the great care taken by the artist/stonemason, I don't think it would have been shown in the wrong position... Maybe this is showing some kind of secret Roman equipment, which modern day archaeologists have not yet discovered...
@@richardruff8712 - That “blade” may be a wheel lock that settles on the bottom of the river or moat. When the siege device is pushed (or dragged) out, it prevents the wheels from going backwards undoing the progress. Once in place, a second siege device is dragged next to it, in order to begin laying wood beams like a pontoon bridge. That may be why there are two of those devises portrayed. I don’t believe those blades are for chariot wheels.
@@JohannRosario1Yes... Interesting theories put forward about these objects... Considering how much detail was put on all the Trajan's Column stone blocks, I am convinced that these objects MUST have been important for the Military, or the stonemason would not have wasted his time making such detailed and precise items...
was about time somebody did a detailed analysis of this. Great work!!!
Wow, that's something to behold. The detail in this relief is amazing.
The level of detail these sculptor put on the colum is amazing.
The Draco didn't make a hissing sound! It made a howling sound, like a wolf. They look like a serpentine dragon with a wolfish head.
Ordinary men think about Rome, Garrett thinks about the details on Trajan's column.
So much BS and he is not thinking much, at all
The details are so clear; little or no erosion over the centuries. It looks like it was made yesterday! Many thanks.
I think it might actually be quite simple. Historically the Romans, during the siege of Sarmizegetusa, found the pipes supplying its water and cut it's water supply. So in all likelihood it's simply depicting mobile A frames being used to lift the pipes.
Thank you for this. I had no idea that these casts exist, making it much more possible to see the fascinating scenes that are on the column. I would really like to see that in person some day.
this footage from your trip is genuinely blowing me away thank you!
What a delightful tour and history lesson. Clear and well spoken. Congratulations and thank you.
A detailed description that makes you want to actually look and examine the scenes carved out. Very interesting. Phil
I wonder if the siege engine is a flamethrower, similar (but not identical) to the one described by Thucydides, in the Boeotian siege of Delium.
He says a giant pipe was made by hollowing out a wooden beam. This was connected to a cauldron filed with coals, sulphur and pitch. The whole thing was brought up to the wall, bellows were attached to the back and it projected great blasts of fire.
It's possible, but I think that the stone carvers would have shown it firing, too.... A thing like that would have been really impressive in its day.
@Tom_Quixote Idk, the Dacian Wars ended 530 years after that siege, so the technology wasn't exactly hot off the press (of the bellows - already a dated phrase, presumably).
More seriously, whatever the contraption's for, it doesn't appear to be shown.
They would have showed giant flames if it was a flame thrower.
The ballista isn't shown firing its missile, the ships aren't shown smashing enemy ships to splinters, the swords aren't shown streaming with blood, the shields and helmets aren't shown deflecting a hail of missiles etc. etc.
If it were that kind of a picture, showing everything in action, our guy wouldn't be mistaking the fort for a lumber yard. X)@@Etaoinshrdlu69
Looks like they were just setting it up, a 3rd barrel is being lifted at the right.
Thank you! This was fantastic! It's like I got on plane and stepped into a place I probably never will be able to visit. The buildings in the background at 4:11, are so interesting in that we don't know much about many types of dwellings. The one in the center looks like a tent. Are those the portable barracks? And at 5:04? Swinging counterweights that add extra momentum and force to a battering ram? How fascinating. I own a replica of the Roman dodecahedron artifact - another mystery no one has figured out yet.
Just mindblowing work. It's amazing to see in great detail the differences between all the groups. The size of the column is also mindblowing! Thanks for sharing
the mystery object looks like a battering ram, that has weighted swings to protect the soldiers working it and that add momentum to the battering
Excactly what I came up with. These could be swinging blades and not wheels. And the ''barrel'' a swinging counterweight.
Excellent video! I truly found nothing that annoyed me whatsoever, about it! Usually some music blasting, or opinionated, "facts", come into play, but your video was fantastic. Thank you so much!
There is so much shown on these columns that an uneducated observer is overwhelmed. It was great to have some of this particular column explained. It encourages me to look more closely at these busy scenes.
Incredible once again ! Thank you for this and including up on your travels :)
I think I figured out what that those weird wheeled things are, after researching for a couple hours. They look like some kind of Polyspastos cranes. That explains the angle, the wheel with the handle at the bottom on each one, and the pulley/wheel at the top. You can't see the ropes that would be holding them up, but I think the boards at the bottom are probably tie off points for tackle. Google some pics and you will see what I mean. Not sure what the barrel looking things are, but they might be counterweights, or just part of the crane arm and we can't see the tension ropes.
Incorrect
@@nathanworthington4451 I'm pretty sure that is what they are. Aside from the A-frame, pulley at the top, and crank with handle at the bottom indicating nothing on it is actually a wheel, the angle they are sitting at is the dead give away. These cranes are known Roman engineering tools.
@@nathanworthington4451 No explanation why? Please enlighten us.
@@BillyBobDingo1971 probably he subscribed to the thesis put forward in another comment, that it was a sort of portable aqueduct to bring water to the camp, both drinking and whatever else needed, for a siege.
@@BillyBobDingo1971 It was obviously a portable aqueduct. Even in my 40s I remember that from my Greco Roman studies in college. Oh but you didn't graduate from University did you? Did you? 🤣 No you did not. Stay in your lane wannabe, the adults are speaking.
Awestruck by the amazing detail of the column!
Fascinating "random details"! Thanks for your introduction!
Thanks for this.
I was anticipating seeing more detail of the mystery carving.
The truces fascinate me, the construction would be immense but the stone carving showing it off would be an equally arduous task
Trusses
Wonderful video! That column is like a time machine. I love the details that you spotted
Yes, comparable to the Bayeux Tapestry perhaps . . .
Great job. We never before saw so much interesting detail on Trajan's column, or anything else for that matter.
That was so much great work in one place. A sculpture can be worth a million words. Thanks..
Wonderful! Brief and full of rich detail.
The unknown, machine reminds me of mobile irrigation pipes on triangular wheeled towers used here in Indiana.
Wonderful vid. Never saw the colomn in such detail. Thank you
Really, one of the best presentations on the field. Bravo!
What an awesome video! I love all these videos on the ruins.
it prevents siege ladders, top horizontal rollers are there to give clearance from the wall, swingers are "free floating" side to side in between with weights to give those spikes some momemtum, likely some lever added to far right to start it, this could swing pretty long when put into motions
just quessing tho
This is stuff i like to see, very grateful for this channel
After a small discussion (providing the picture) with chatgpt, I got this answer (I wouldn't bet anything on it):
Plutei were wheeled mobile protective screens used during sieges to shield soldiers approaching the walls of a fortress. They could be made of wood and reinforced with metal or leather. These structures were pushed across the battlefield to provide cover against enemy arrows or other projectiles.
The "little hook" on the side of the wheels could be some kind of handle or device to help maneuver the structure or to attach tools or weapons. The barrel-like objects could be reinforcements or counterweights to stabilize the structure, or decorations symbolizing the pluteus' sturdiness or function.
This interpretation is consistent with the use of siege and protection techniques by Roman armies, although precise identification may depend on the specific origin of the sculpture and its archaeological context.
This is huge and so detailed! I never heard of the women torturing soldiers! The whole thing is just amazing, and it seems like it would have been horrible to have been in the fighting from any part of it! Thank you for sharing!
War widows.
Rudyard Kipling had a poem about a wounded soldier blowing his brains out before the village women got to him after some colonial battle.
Keep up the awesome job, Garrett 👍
amazingly detailed shots. thanks for sharing ❤
This was fantastic. Thank you!
An amazing monument, every time I’m in Rome centre i marvel at Trajan’s column and her often forgotten companion, Marcus Aurelius Column, they’re both incredible examples of Roman Art.
These are in the Romanian Museum. I recognize them because I visited it in 2005.
He said at the start of the video he's in a history museum in Romania. The column is in the History Museum in the capital of Romania, Bucharest.
@@RhiannonSenpai
He said it's a cast (ie a copy) of Trajan's column in Rome (it's definitely in Rome because I've seen it there 😂)
I think its a portable playground. It has wheels to move it wherever you want, and then you plant those spokes on the axle into the ground to keep it steady and see who can run across the top beam with the barrel obstacles and wheels without falling off.
Yes they felt that naps and playtime was important to the engaged warrior....
Excellent. Fascinating. Thank you for your work.
Since years and years I whished that SOMEBODY would show us the scenes on those triumphal and historical columns: and nobody did react, UNTIL THIS VIDEO !!! !!! !!!
THANK YOU VERY VERY MUCH !
Thanks Garrett! Wow the amount of work that would go into something like this. I'd love to see an exploration into the sculptors or carvers of ancient Rome. There must be a rich history of tradesmen (and women?) through the ages with all of the stone work, monuments and architectural artifacts that have survived. Was there an apprentice system, how would they plan and execute such a large project, how did it all work? It might make for an interesting video or series of videos.
I'll add to the Q & A list!
Thanks for considering it Garrett! I always wonder about the behind the scene aspects of some of these mammoth projects.@@toldinstonefootnotes
Old world photography was a lot more work. I couldn't comprehend the amount of work and skill involved to portray these intricate carvings
Lol there are so many errors, don’t just believe what you hear, use your eyes and common sense, you don’t even need to research to tell a bown and arrow is not a sling or a dolphin does not have an eyebrow or a boat’s back end is not it’s prow or Romans are not bearded with long hair….
@@IDPCZcams I caught those when he said sling and the dude is clearly holding a bow, and yea I was like since when did romans have shaggy hair and beards.
The " wheels " could have been a measuring device that included angle as well as distance . There were many devices used to calculate distance and these shown may have included circumference as well . The carvings are remarkable and gives a clear look as to dress and style . Thanks for the share. :O)
Oh wow! Great choice in selecting this artwork! It is amazing and you narrat every good too! Excellent Video! Wow we just don't see Romans doing regular stuff enough! So Awesome!
Really, really liked this. More please.. Thank you.
A truly impressive monument and a fascinating exhibition to visit. The Dacian banner depicted a wolf, as wolves are native to these lands, and
not a dragon. Enjoyed the video, thank you! :)
Yet it was called a draco.
@@damionkeeling3103 Rephaim decendants for sure.
The entire thing, every figure on it, was painted to appear lifelike an the men carried tiny spears. It appears that some of the helmets bore plumes of some kind as well. Imagine what it looked like when new!
It was probably the HBO of its day
Hindu temples in India sometimes have painted carvings of gods, people, and animals on the outside. The painting needs to be be redone frequently.
The first thing I thought of when seeing the mysterious wheeled things was center pivot irrigation systems used by farmers. YT won't let me post a link to a photo so just Google "center pivot irrigation system". Perhaps the barrels in the center held water to be dripped over crops.
Thank you for an excellent presentation.
Could the strange machine have been used to prepare ground around a besieged city somehow? The protrusions at the bottom near what look like wheels are offset, makes me think of something like a lawn aerator. Not sure what the barrels at the top would do, perhaps they drip water between the wheeled sections? Definitely strange, would be interesting to know if anything like it is depicted anywhere else.
I thought of a ground rotivator too. The lower wheels also seem to have a type of scythe projection at the far side. Could it have been used to level ground for siege engines to move up to the walls ?
My thoughts yeah the barrels could be oil water for dust styling of for the wheels as earth clearing would be bad for axles?
Don't look at me, I don't know what it is either.
Thank you for this ! You did a very good job...
This is exactly what I asked for!. Thanks!
Absolutely fantastic, Doc. I have never ever seen anyone analyze this peerless document in stone. So much to learn about Dacian and their Scytho-Sarmatian allies. Their banner being a sock "dragon lion" as that of their kin, the Parthians (as recorded by the historians of the time). Really valuable. Thank you. Question; Do you believe the Dacian before their Latinzation, were likewise Scytho-Sarmato-Alans?
They were likely related to the Thracians, but with strong Celtic influences, and obviously Scythian ones as well.
They probably were from a family similar to Latin's. The quick adoption of Latin language (200 years) points to that direction IMO.
Latins themselves probably originated in western part of Dacia (present day Hungaria) before migrating in Italian peninsula.
@@adrian.farcas Thanks, but what language did they speak? The Thracian and Celtic connection idea could be generic (being there together in the ancient Balkans), but the Scytho-Sarmato-Alans were there too, and way beyond into Poland, France and Spain
Daca nu poti uimi oamenii cu inteligenta,macar zapaceste-i cu tampeniile tale. @@SorinNicu
@@SorinNicu I don't think so. Latin is Western IndoEuropean, Scytho-Sarmatian-Alan is Eastern IndoEuropean
That was fantastic! Thank you
Excellent video, thank you.
How true is it the Victorian plaster casts in the Victoria and Albert museum (and presumably this cast too) are actually now far more legible than the original due to decades of air pollution in Rome? Has the original truly been damaged to such a large degree, or is there an element of hyperbole?
I can tell that those in V&A museum look in excellent shape, very sharp. The original I've only seen it in photos but it looks indeed quite worn...
From what I've read, the last century - since the introduction of widespread automobile traffic - has wreaked havoc on the reliefs of Trajan's Column.
I remember seeing plaster casts of Roman statuary and friezes in the inner courtyard of the Edinburgh College of Art over fifty years ago. Presumably other Victorian art schools as well as museums had those too. They may have gone out of fashion as a teaching resource in the 20th century, but at one time making them must have been a mini-industry in itself.
I looked at the Trajan Column a few weeks ago and it still seems very detailed to me, you can clearly see small details of the soldier’s armor and equipment for example. Some panels are more worn out than the others but when you think of its age it’s amazing how well preserved it is. There are replicas in the Museum of Roman civilization, that is currently closed for renovation, i saw them years ago and it’s fascinating to see all the panels, as the column is so high that you see few details of the top panels from the ground. When it was painted and the soldiers had real metal swords it must have been amazing.
Is it possible that on the original column the soldiers were holding iron weapons now disappeared?
Thank you for your presentation! I need to brush up on history.
A fascinating degree of detail in its execution. 5:10 ? I think it might be a barrier or (as another poster suggested) portable water for the battlefield, which is a very important commodity to have around. The three-wheel triangular structures rolled on the ground, and then the apex (which has one of the three wheels) was lifted so that the 3-prong thing at the bottom would embed and anchor the structure in place. The cross members with the barrels were either attached at this point, or maybe were already attached and rolled into place right along with the triangles. ADDENDUM I like Johannrosario's floating pontoon theory, too. Our ideas could be combined, making use of my mechanics and his purpose for the device. I am now less enthusiastic about this being drinking water....nothing this complicated would be needed just to quench the warriors' thirst. MORE: I just noticed - look at the two uprights nearest the wheels for each triangle unit: The near wheel is inside the upright, but the far wheel is outside the upright. When you think about it, this is needed for the thing to roll: Both uprights on the outside would have pinned the wheels as the distance between the uprights lessened with height. So the near upright must be straight up-and-down, while the far upright angles in toward the apex. That is - viewed from the front - the triangle would be a right triangle, not equal-angled. Also notice the sickle-shaped things coming off the hubs of the far wheels. Ben-Hur chariot blades? Why? I also wonder now if the transverse barrels function more as rollers for pulling ropes or pushing planks or poles. FINAL ENTRY I know what it is: A portable bulwark for use on flatish terrain with sparse cover. It is positioned as I suggest above, but the thing I want to add is this: The barrel-like structures either contain or have wrapped around them.....Fabric! The sheets are deployed and draped over the wooden rolling frame after it is positioned and raised. IMO I believe the structure to be between 4.5 and 5.5 feet (appx 1.5m) when operational. Now this highly mobile bulwark can be moved back & forth fairly easily on the field of battle. It provides some physical protection, but mostly blocks the view of the enemy who dearly wants to know where to focus their assault, and get an idea of how the enemy's forces are deployed.
As for the weird objects, Is it possible the artist had a bad day and didn’t quite get the details right in his sketchbook? When he got to that part of the sculpture (far from the frontline), he couldn’t remember what connected to what at what angle so he winged it?
Thanks for sharing!
The thing with wheels is a battering ram, to ram the gates from a distance as the gate would be heavily guarded from above. This ram could be wheeled into place and batter the gate while the soldiers stood at a distance from the gate itself
Interesting video but you've made a few errors.
1:40 - That section depicts the 2 camps with a watchtower between. The round wooden one with a Draco is obviously Dacian, while the stone one with the heads is definitely Roman (Roman Standard, filled with Romans, depicted in more detail, which you would expect given that this is a Roman column), Those are Dacian heads, Romans were known to employ terror tactics throughout history; and just from the column alone we see they did that extensively against Dacians, with multiple instances in which they behead, use heads as decoration and even fight with heads in their teeth.
2:19 - It would make absolutely zero sense to have Dacian women torturing roman soldiers next to the Emperor of Rome. Those are 100% Roman women (that head covering is basically the definition of a Roman woman, almost stereotypical) and those are 1000% Dacian captives, as Romans were not depicted even once in the entire column as wearing beards and moustaches. Another clear way of differentiating Romans from Dacians is also the length of the hair, Romans being depicted with short, military hair, while Dacians usually being depicted with longer, curlier one.
Very interesting! Thanks for the video.
Thanks so much, great vid.
Can you imagine the things that are available today being found in an archeological dig 200 years from now? Will they be able to figure out what a mouse jiggler was? One of those boxes that shakes mechanical watches? Specialized bicycle tools? An eyebrow puller?
the female dacians carrying out the torture reminds me of the comanches also getting their women to torture captives because they were supposedly even more brutal and remorseless than the men, or perhaps it was just more humiliating
Or perhaps because it's propaganda by the invaders.
I think the comanches were wiped out by the americans, genocide if memory serves me right.
wow! what started as a taglich walk in the park was one of the best antiquity videos i've ever seen, i absolutelty thought i would know anything about the storyline on the trajan column. i have to watch this again!
Excellent presentation, thanks
Very interesting. Great job. thank you.
Thank you for the video.
Cheers.
Fascinating! I am left with an overwhelming impression of how soft and comfortable my life is compared to the day to day raw existence of the ancients
Thank you. This was informative.
Such a great analysis!
Thanks very much that was amazing!
Excellent post!👍🏻
I was definitely caught off guard by the scale of the column when I viewed the V&A's large casts. And I've always wondered about the unknown 'siege engine' reliefs.
This is under lighted history thank you for surfacing it.
Fabulous. Thank you.
thank you. great video.