Answer the following question in 3-4 complete sentences. Describe the Column of Trajan (above), including how it serves to both document and commemorate history.

Answer:

The Column of Trajan is a tall marble monument in Rome topped originally by a statue of Emperor Trajan. Its spiral relief shows scenes from Trajan’s military campaigns against the Dacians, documenting soldiers, battles, and daily activities. At the same time, the monument commemorates Trajan’s victories and presents him as a powerful and successful emperor. Because the reliefs glorify Rome and Trajan, they document history from a Roman and propagandistic point of view.