Base of the Column of Antoninus Pius

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Base of the Column of Antoninus Pius
Base of the Column of Antoninus Pius

This base had previously supported the Column of the emperor Antoninus Pius, found in 1703 in the Campus Martius near Montecitorio, where the remains of the emperor had been burned. Shortly after the death of Antoninus Pius in 161 D.C., the column was dedicated to him by his adoptive sons, the emperors Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus. Carved on the base is the scene of the apotheosis of the emperor and his wife Faustina the Elder who, flanked by two eagles, are lifted to heaven by a winged Genius. The scene is witnessed by the goddess Roma and the personification of the Campus Martius, who supports the obelisk of Augustus. The sides depict the parades of knights that took place to mark the occasion of solemn imperial funerals. Unlike the decorated columns of the emperors Trajan and Marcus Aurelius, the column of Antoninus Pius had the form of a smooth stem made of pink Egyptian granite.