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Reproduction of the Rostral Column of
Gaius Duilius (
c. 260 BC) at the
Museum of Roman Civilization
Rostral columns in
Saint Petersburg
Rostral columns of the place des Quinconces, Bordeaux, France
rostral column, Grand Basin,
World's Columbian Exposition , Chicago, Illinois, 1893
Torre de Cristal in
Recife, Brazil .
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. Its defining characteristic is the integrated
prows or
rams of ships, representing captured or destroyed enemy ships. The name derives from the Latin
rostrum meaning the bow of a naval vessel.
[1]
Rostral columns of the modern world include the
Columbus Monument at
Columbus Circle in New York City,
[2] and the paired
Saint Petersburg Rostral Columns .
[3]
List of notable rostral columns
Ancient
Modern
the Grenville Column, monument to
Royal Navy officer Thomas Grenville , on the grounds of
Stowe House , Buckinghamshire, England (1749)
one element of the
Tripoli Monument ,
United States Naval Academy ,
Annapolis, Maryland (1808)
[6]
twin rostral columns in the
Place des Quinconces ,
Bordeaux (1829)
Place de la Concorde ,
Paris (1836)
Old Saint Petersburg Stock Exchange and Rostral Columns ,
Saint Petersburg, Russia (1881)
monument to
Wilhelm von Tegetthoff ,
Praterstern ,
Vienna (1886)
Columbus Monument ,
New York City (1892)
in the Grand Basin of the
World's Columbian Exposition (razed), Chicago, Illinois (1893)
in
Grant Park along the
Metra Electric railroad line, Chicago, Illinois (1927-29)
[7]
Cunard War Memorial ,
Liverpool, England (1920)
Rostral Column, Vladivostok (
ru:Ростральная колонна (Владивосток) in Russian) (1960)
Rostral Columns,
Union Station Plaza , Washington, DC
[8]
See also
Rostra , the raised platforms in ancient Rome, also adorned with the beaks of captured warships, from which orations and pleadings were delivered
References
Other sources
External links