| Statue from Trajan’s Column | |
|---|---|
| |
|
Origin |
Apollodorus of Damascus |
|
Type |
Statue |
|
Effects |
Exaggerates historical records |
|
Activation |
Proximity to historical records |
|
Collected by |
Warehouse 8 |
|
Section |
|
|
Aisle |
840027-9246 |
|
Shelf |
864735-4824-983 |
|
Date of Collection |
1426 |
| [Source] | |
Origin[]
Serving as a victory memorial, the column depicts Roman emperor Trajan as only a glorious civilizer. Many researchers today believe it was employed not just as a possible funerary monument, but also as an ancient propaganda piece.
The mammoth column was placed at the entrance of Trajan’s Forum, situated next to two libraries. Although the tale of defeating the Dacians was carved in a spiral pattern and made viewing most of the story at once impossible, its entirety was visible from a library. In addition, many separate rows of each column highlighted a depiction of Trajan, making it easy to recognize he was the one being deified. His enemies meanwhile were sculpted to look like women, as Roman art rarely depicted female citizens outside of an insult.
Originally, a large bird topped the statue but it was replaced immediately with a statue of Trajan. It disappeared sometime during the Middle Ages and was replaced with a bronze statue of Saint Peter instead.
Effects[]
Animates when exposed to biographical records and personal effects, speaking an exaggerated history of the subjects. The basic story will be correct, but the details will be played up for effect to make the subject appear invulnerable in might or power. When left stationary in one spot for too long, it will create a field of falsehood surrounding it, twisting the perceptions of people to whatever the statue desires.