Rostral column

A rostral column is a type of victory column originating in ancient Greece and Rome, where they were erected to commemorate a naval military victory. Its defining characteristic is the integrated prows or rams of ships, representing captured or destroyed enemy ships. The name derives from the Latin rostrum meaning the bow of a naval vessel.[1]

Reproduction of the Rostral Column of Gaius Duilius (c. 260 BC) at the Museum of Roman Civilization
Rostral columns in Saint Petersburg
The two rostral columns of the place des Quinconces in Bordeaux, France.
Rostral columns of the place des Quinconces, Bordeaux, France
rostral column, Grand Basin, World's Columbian Exposition, Chicago, Illinois, 1893
Torre de Cristal in Recife, Brazil.

Rostral columns of the modern world include the Columbus Monument at Columbus Circle in New York City,[2] and the paired Saint Petersburg Rostral Columns.[3]

List of notable rostral columns

Ancient

Modern

See also

  • Rostra, the raised platforms in ancient Rome, also adorned with the beaks of captured warships, from which orations and pleadings were delivered

References

Other sources

External links