The exhibition itinerary
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Sezione 4
The construction of Trajan’s Column according to sculptor Claudio Capotondi
Claudio Capotondi is convinced that the blocks of Trajan’s Column were raised by mechanical means and not along an inclined plane. His scenario assumes the presence of a complex, powerful lifting machine with a dual treadmill and no boom, as the latter could not have carried the massive weight of the Column’s drums. A very tall wooden scaffolding tower serves as a platform for the artisans in charge of carving the frieze and the workmen performing the delicate operation of ensuring the blocks’ perfect alignment. At the top of the structure, a pulley system is used to raise the blocks, while a gantry crane solves the complicated problem of how to move the drums horizontally, then lower and position them on the same axis as the ones underneath.
The models produced by the sculptor Claudio Capotondi offer a hypothetical reconstruction of the Column’s construction site.