Colonna di Marco Aurelio

Towering over Piazza Colonna, the 30m-high Colonna di Marco Aurelio was completed in AD 193 to honor Marcus Aurelius’ military victories. Its vivid reliefs depict scenes from battles against the Germanic tribes (169–173) and, further up, the Sarmatians (174–176). In 1589, the emperor was replaced on the top of the column by a bronze statue of St Paul.

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