Column of Marcus Aurelius Digital Scan in Rome
A PROJECT TO DOCUMENT AND DIGITALLY PRESERVE THE COLUMN OF MARCUS AURELIUS
The Column of Marcus Aurelius is one of Rome’s most remarkable monuments. Erected in the late 2nd century CE in the Campus Martius, it rises almost 30 meters high and is wrapped in a spiraling frieze of more than two thousand figures carved in deep relief. The scenes vividly recount Marcus Aurelius’ campaigns along the Danube and remain one of the most powerful visual narratives of imperial Rome. The column was restored once in the late 16th century under Pope Sixtus V, with Domenico Fontana overseeing the insertion of a new pedestal and the placement of a bronze statue of St. Paul on its summit. Since then, however, the monument has received surprisingly little systematic conservation; the last major intervention was in the 1980s. Today, with scaffolding finally rising around the column for a year-long program, a unique opportunity has opened to study and protect it in unprecedented detail.
The comprehensive conservation of the column and the reliefs is directed by the Soprintendenza Speciale di Roma, with two innovation partners bringing complementary expertise. The American Institute for Roman Culture is responsible for ultra-high resolution documentation: using cameras, the team is producing a full photogrammetric record of the entire sculpted surface, more than 330 square meters in total. This will create a permanent 3D archive of the column before, during, and after conservation, ensuring that even the smallest crack, lacuna, or chisel mark is preserved digitally for the future.
At the same time, the University of Ferrara’s Consorzio Futuro in Ricerca is developing a new three-dimensional information system. Built on the photogrammetric data, this digital platform will integrate all the records from the conservation project—mapping conditions of decay, logging treatments and materials used, and even running predictive models to identify which areas are most vulnerable in the future. This is not only a research tool but also a template for long-term monitoring of monuments exposed to urban pollution and climate stress.
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Awarded by the Expandere Conscientiae Lumen Grant
Beyond science and conservation, the project has a strong public dimension. The data will be transformed into an interactive model that allows viewers to “climb” the column virtually, as ancient visitors once did, following the reliefs from ground to capital. Experiments with digital color will reconstruct the polychromy that once animated the battle scenes, while immersive VR experiences will make this cycle of imagery more legible to modern audiences. All of this content will be freely accessible to schools, universities, and the wider public through an online platform dedicated to the valorization of Rome’s monuments.
In short, the new campaign on the Column of Marcus Aurelius is not just a restoration but a reinvention of how we study and experience one of Rome’s iconic landmarks. It combines conservation with cutting-edge technology, ensures a rigorous scientific record, and opens the monument up to a global audience. For the first time since the 16th century, the column is getting the attention it deserves—not only cleaned and stabilized, but also digitally preserved and made accessible for generations to come.
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