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Winged victories were a common motif on triumphal arches
and are also found on the triple arch at the edge of the Forum.
This honoured the Emperor Septimius Severus and his sons.
The arch was set up in AD203 to celebrate victories in Parthia.
Again the sculpture depicts scenes from the campaign
showing Roman soldiers and Parthian prisoners.
Similar scenes of victory and conquest
are found on the 4th century arch of Constantine.
Another form of commemoration was the monumental column.
The most famous of these was set up
to record Trajan successes against the Dacians.
The base on which the column stands
depicts heaps of Dacian arms and armour.
An inscription records how the column was dedicated to Trajan
and marks the height of the hill.
that had to be removed to build Trajan's Forum.
The column with its spiral reliefs stands more than 38 metres high.
A statue of Trajan would have originally stood on the top
where the figure of St Peter now stands.
On the spiral reliefs are images and scenes from the wars.
The emperor addressing his troops.
Battle scenes.
Dacian prisoners.
And, of course, more winged victories.
This later column of Marcus Aurelius is similar in design.
It celebrates his campaigns north of the Danube.
But whether on column or arch,
the purpose of such displays was the same -
to stress the might and power of the emperor.
To present him as an all-conquering ruler of the world.
The depictions of Barbarians and other Roman enemies
might have been formulaic
but the similarity must have helped to define and unify
those who saw the monuments as Romans.
And whatever their origins,
it was as Romans that those who lived in the city
shared in the success and the fruits of empire.
Triumphal arches,
columns,
maps,
objects or materials appropriated from the provinces,
all brought the empire to Rome,
celebrating the extent and diversity of that empire.
And symbolising the power and control
of the emperor who brought peace, stability and glory to Rome.
Expansion of the empire might bring glory to individual emperors,
but maintaining the existing territories and established provinces
was just as important.
The emperor's presence and influence had to be felt beyond Rome.
But clearly he couldn't be everywhere at once.
Some emperors did visit parts of their kingdom
but often in connection with military campaigns.
Emperor Hadrian travelled extensively across the empire
but more for diplomatic reasons and because of his own curiosity.
In Athens he was impressed by the ancient city
and became a major benefactor.
In Britain, to mark the northern limit of the province,
he decreed the building of a huge wall.
The coins minted in Rome and elsewhere celebrated his travels,
recording where he'd been and what he'd done.
Personifications of the provinces, like Africa and Judea
are shown greeting the emperor.
Coins could also celebrate military conquests.
This one, issued under the Emperor Vespasian,
shows two Jews in mourning beneath a palm tree.
It celebrates the capture of Judea.
This coin marks the Emperor Claudius' invasion of Britain.
It shows the triumphal arch erected in Rome to celebrate his victory.
Coins could also be used to commemorate the completion
and dedication of important buildings in Rome
like the Colosseum which was built and dedicated
under the Flavian emperors.
But above all, coins carried personal likenesses of the emperor
and members of his family throughout the empire.
Encircling each emperor were his titles and offices,
legitimating his power.
The images and text on coins combined to represent virtues and powers
which the emperor wished to stress.
Justice.
Discipline.
Patience.
And victory.
Of course it's quite reasonable to ask just how far
people were aware of these images.
Coins, once in the pocket, may be little studied
and the miniature pictures little noted.
But even if it only operated on a subliminal level,
the images and text on coins must have been a constant reminder
of just who was in control.