The Triumphal Column

Marcus and comodus arrive back rome in late one 76, and the emperor quickly set about promoting his son politically. Probably coinciding with the triumph, though the chronology is a bit hazy, marcus commissioned his own triumphal column. As the column winds its way up and the momentum of war shifts away from the germans, we are treated to multiple depictions of a larger than life marcus overseeing prisonersbe headings and wailing families. Today, these panels act as a sort of rorshack test for the viewer, with some claiming to see marcus playing the part of merciful conqueror,. while others see stoic marcus ordering the executions to proceed.