The Tropaeum Traiani is a monument in Roman Civitas Tropaensium, built in 109 in then Moesia Inferior, to commemorate Roman Emperor Trajan's victory over the Dacians, in the winter of 101-102, in the Battle of Adamclisi. Before Trajan's construction, an altar existed there, on the walls of which were inscribed the names of the 3,000 legionaries and auxilia who had died "fighting for the Republic".. Trajan's monument was inspired by the Augustus mausoleum, and was dedicated to Mars Ultor in AD 107/108. On the monument there were 54 metopes depicting Roman legions fighting against enemies; most of these metopes are preserved in the museum nearby. The monument was supposed to be a warning to the tribes outside this newly conquered province. By the 20th century, the monument was reduced to a mound of stone and mortar, with a large number of the original bas-reliefs scattered around. The present edifice is a reconstruction dating from 1977. The nearby museum contains many archaeological objects, including parts of the original Roman monument. Of the original 54 metopes, 48 are in the museum and 1 is in Istanbul.
Trophy
The monument was dedicated with a large inscription to Mars Ultor. The inscription has been preserved fragmentarily from two sides of the trophy hexagon, and has been reconstructed as follows:
MARTI ULTOR IMAR DIVI NERVA F NRVA TRA]IANUS DAC]IS PONT MAX TRIB POTEST XIII IMP VI COS V P P ?VICTO EXERC]ITU D ?---- ET SARMATA]RUM ----]E 31.
The inscription, which callsTrajanGermanicus from his previous victories in Germany and Dacicus for his new conquest of Dacia, can be translated:
To Mars Ultor, Caesar the emperor, son of the divine Nerva, Nerva Trajan Augustus, Germanicus, Dacicus, Pontifex Maximus, Plebeian tribune for the 13th time, Emperor for the 6th time, Consul for the 5th time, Father the Fatherland, Conquered the Dacian and the Sarmatian armies...
Metopes
On the monument was a frieze comprising 54 metopes. 48 metopes are hosted in the Adamclisi museum nearby, and one metope is hosted by Istanbul Archaeology Museum, the rest having been lost.
"in honorem et in memoriam fortissimorum virorum qui pugnantes pro republica morte occubuerunt"
1977 Reconstruction
The monument was restored based on a hypothetical reconstruction in 1977.
Archeological research
In 1837, four Prussian officers, hired by the Ottoman Empire to study the Dobruja strategic situation, performed the first excavations. The team was composed by Heinrich Muhlbach, leading Friedrich Leopold Fischer, Carol Wincke-Olbendorf and Helmuth von Moltke the Elder. They tried to reach the center of the monument by digging a tunnel, nothing was found after the digging. The monument was also visited by C. W. Wutzer from Bonn University, who recorded a short description of the monument and of some local legends. The monument was researched by Grigore Tocilescu, O. Benford and G. Niemann, between 1882–1895, George Murnu in 1909, Vasile Parvan stop the researches in 1911, Paul Nicorescu studied the site between 1935–1945, Gheorghe Stefan and Ioan Barnea in 1945. From 1968 the site was researched under Romanian Academy supervision.
