Paying homage to himself - Trajan was a very popular Roman emperor so nobody seemed to mind when he commissioned a triumphal column to pay homage to himself. For the record, the 127-foot-tall spire, massive in size and intricately carved, was built between 107 and 113 AD and made from luna marble. It commemorated Trajan's victory in the Dacian Wars. The column has served as a prominent landmark and a symbol of imperial power since it was dedicated at the height of Trajan's reign. Originally, the more than 2,500 figures on the column were decorated in bright colors. More than 50 of the figures depicted Trajan. At the time of its construction, the column was located inside Trajan's market, which fell into disrepair over the centuries. The column consists of 17 colossal rocks in cylindrical-shaped monolithic elements with a diameter of four meters. These wrap around the pillar 23 times and are decorated with astonishing reliefs, almost 200 meters of white marble that could be unrolled like film. A bronze statue of Trajan once crowned the top of the column but it was replaced by a statue of Saint Peter by Pope Sixtus V in 1588. Today, it towers over the ruins of Trajan's Forum, which once included two libraries and a grand civic space.