Zuil van Marcus Aurelius op het Piazza Colonna te Rome, Italië 1857 - 1900

This photograph captures the Column of Marcus Aurelius in Piazza Colonna, Rome, and was taken by Fratelli Alinari. The column itself was built between 176 and 193 AD to commemorate the emperor's military victories. In Alinari's photograph, the column rises as a stoic monument to imperial power, yet the photograph also frames questions of identity, power and representation. Originally topped with a statue of Marcus Aurelius, it now bears an image of St. Paul, a symbolic recasting of Rome’s imperial history with Christian figures. What does it mean when a monument to military victory is repurposed as a symbol of spiritual triumph? By photographing this site, Fratelli Alinari documented the way history is layered and rewritten over time. The image serves not only as a historical record, but as an invitation to reflect on the complex interplay between power, identity, and the narratives we inherit.