Rostral column









A rostral column is a type of victory column, originating in ancient Greece and Rome where they were erected to commemorate a naval military victory. Traditionally, rostra – the prows or rams of captured ships – were mounted on the columns. Rostral columns of the modern world include the Columbus Memorial at Columbus Circle in New York City, and the paired Saint Petersburg Rostral Columns.

Ancient

 * Columna Rostrata C. Duilii ("Rostral Column of Gaius Duilius"), celebrating the naval Battle of Mylae (260 BC); formerly in the Roman Forum, some remnants of the inscription are now in the Capitoline Museum.

Modern

 * Old Saint Petersburg Stock Exchange and Rostral Columns (1811), Saint Petersburg, Russia
 * Tripoli Monument First Barbary War

Other sources

 * "Greek architecture" Encyclopædia Britannica, 1965