The Roman antiquities, t. 4, Plate II. According to the title. On the bank of a river a great colonnade through which you can see a bridge and monumental buildings of the opposite bank. 

This print by Giovanni Battista Piranesi depicts an elaborate colonnade framing a bustling river scene in ancient Rome. The columns, a powerful symbol of Roman authority and order, dominate the image. These pillars echo through time, reappearing in Renaissance palazzos and even in the grandiose structures of the modern era. Consider how Egyptian obelisks, originally symbols of sun worship and royal power, were later incorporated into Roman architecture, signaling conquest and cultural assimilation. Their forms have been continuously reinterpreted, most recently in the Washington Monument. Here, the grandeur evokes a sublime emotional response, a mix of awe and perhaps a touch of melancholy. This is the burden of history—the weight of empires, the echoes of past glories—a reminder of civilization's cyclical nature. The image impresses upon us the eternal return of forms and ideas.