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Primary sourceSculpture

Portrait of Trajan

A lifetime marble portrait bust of Trajan from an oversized statue, showing his characteristic comma-shaped fringe and austere features.

This lifetime portrait bust shows Trajan's own chosen public image as emperor.

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Marble head sculpture of a man with short, combed, curled hair over the forehead, a stern brow, a straight nose, and a slight closed-mouth expression. The head rests on a plain base against a brick-colored wall.
Head of Trajan, from an oversized statue. Glyptothek, Munich.

About this source

What it is

This marble head, held at the Glyptothek in Munich, comes from an oversized statue of Trajan made during his lifetime. It shows his distinctive hairstyle, combed forward in a comma shape, and a stern, soldierly expression.

Why it matters

As a lifetime portrait, this sculpture shows how Trajan wanted to be seen by his contemporaries: austere, disciplined, and fit for his role as a military emperor. Portraits like this were copied and displayed across the empire to project his authority and personal image.

Look closer

  • What does the choice of hairstyle and expression tell us about how Trajan wanted to be perceived?
  • Why would an emperor commission oversized statues of himself?
  • How might this portrait differ from how Trajan actually looked day to day?

This sculpture is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Trajan on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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Tall marble Trajan's Column in Rome, a fluted column with spiral relief bands, topped by a bronze statue on a balcony platform. Behind it is a domed church with a lantern and tall buildings under a clear blue sky.Sculpture

Primary source

Trajan's Column

Apollodorus of Damascus · 113 AD

Plan drawing of the Imperial Fora in Rome. Labeled features include Trajan's Forum, Trajan's Column, Basilica Ulpia, Temple of Trajan, Libraries, Markets of Trajan, Forum of Augustus, Forum of Nerva, Temple of Peace, Forum of Caesar, and Curia, with a scale bar in metres and feet.Artifact

Primary source

Trajan's Forum

Apollodorus of Damascus · c. 100-113 AD

Plain red cloth book cover with fine vertical ribbed texture and a darker spine edge on the left side. No title or text is visible.Speech

Primary source

Panegyricus

Pliny the Younger · c. 100 AD

Front view of the Arch of Trajan in Benevento, a white marble Roman triumphal arch with carved relief panels and a long inscription on the attic, under a clear blue sky. Tourists stand on the paved square at left, and a tour bus and a small rounded shrub are visible on the right.Artifact

Secondary source

Arch of Trajan at Benevento

114-117 AD

Dark brown cloth book cover with a white library label reading UC-NRLF and barcode $B 501 045, and a debossed decorative emblem with lettering in the center. The spine is visible on the left edge.Book

Secondary source

Roman History, Book 68

Cassius Dio · early 3rd century AD

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