Victory column

The statue may represent the goddess Victoria; in Germany, the female embodiment of the nation, Germania;[2] in the United States either the female embodiment of the nation Liberty or Columbia;[3] in the United Kingdom, the female embodiment Britannia, an eagle,[4] or a naval war hero depicted as a helmeted woman, wielding a trident, shield and olive branch.

Rededicated to Phocas by Smaragdus, the Exarch of Italy, in 608 with an inscription and gilded statue of that augustus; last addition to the Forum Romanum.

The earliest triumphal column was Trajan's Column which, dedicated in 113 AD, defined its architectural form and established its symbolic value as a political monument alongside the older Roman triumphal arches, providing a lingering model for its successors to this day.

The imperial capitals of Rome and Constantinople house the most ancient triumphal columns.

All dimensions are given here in metres, though it was the Roman foot by which ancient architects determined the harmonious proportions of the columns, and which is thus crucial for understanding their design.