Column of Marcus Aurelius - one of the few triumphal column in Rome. Located on the Piazza Colonna. This Doric column with a spiral relief - it was built in honor of the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius. But since the original dedicatory inscription is not preserved, it is unknown whether the column was created during the reign of the Emperor, or after his death in 180. We only know that in the year 193 it already existed.

Column of Marcus Aurelius once stood in the middle of the square in the northern part of the Field of Mars. This area was located either between the Temple of Hadrian and Marcus Aurelius (the latter do not survive), or within the last temple. Nearby is the place where the cremation ceremony of the emperor.

The barrel of the column reaches 29, 62 meters high and is based on a height of just over 10 m. The base, in turn, initially rested on another platform height of 3 m (after restoration in 1589, this platform were buried under the ground). The column itself is made up of 27 or 28 blocks of Carrara marble. Inside, it is hollow. Spiral relief illustrates the history marcomannic wars in which Marcus Aurelius took part from 166 until his death. The story begins with the transition of the army over the Danube. The exact chronology of those events is unknown. Here you can see the plot of the so-called "miraculous rain" when the gods in answer to prayer for the salvation of the army of the emperor sent a terrible storm. In the Middle Ages attempts to climb the tower was so popular that it even took for money. However, today we can not do that.

In 1589, by order of Pope Sixtus V had carried out the restoration of the column, in which she wore a bronze statue of the apostle Paul. During the same restorations were removed damaged relief images. Now Column of Marcus Aurelius is the centerpiece of the square in front of Palazzo Chigi.