The Igel Column ( German: ''Igeler Säule'') is a multi-storeyed Roman sandstone column in the municipality of Igel, Trier, Germany, dated to . The column is the burial monument of the Secundinii cloth merchant family, and was built by two of the family members, Lucius Secundinius Aventinus and Lucius Secundinus Securus. Measuring in height, it is crowned by the sculptural group of Jupiter and Ganymede. The column includes a four-stepped base, a relatively low podium, topped by a projecting

cornice In architecture, a cornice (from the Italian ''cornice'' meaning "ledge") is generally any horizontal decorative moulding that crowns a building or furniture element—for example, the cornice over a door or window, around the top edge of a ...

, a storey, its flat Corinthian pilasters with decorated shafts, supporting an

architrave In classical architecture, an architrave (; from it, architrave "chief beam", also called an epistyle; from Greek ἐπίστυλον ''epistylon'' "door frame") is the lintel or beam that rests on the capitals of columns. The term can ...

, a sculptured frieze and a heavy cornice. The bas-reliefs feature a procession of six '' coloni'', bringing various donations to the house of their master. The ''coloni'' are received before the entrance to the atrium. The donations consist of a hare, two fish, a kid, an eel, a rooster and a basket of fruit. The column is made out of red and red-grey sandstone but was originally painted. Because of its testimony to the importance of Trier during Roman times, the Igel Column was designated as part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site ''

Roman Monuments, Cathedral of St. Peter and Church of Our Lady in Trier The Roman Monuments, Cathedral of St. Peter and Church of Our Lady in Trier are buildings and monuments of particular historical importance in Trier, Germany, that were together listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1986. These sites demonst ...

'' in 1986. It has been represented numerous times in paintings and drawings. A polychromed replica dominates the central courtyard of the Rheinisches Landesmuseum Trier. File:Igeler Säule - Bläu 1676.jpg, Joan Blaeu, 1649 File:A Sepulchral Monument at Igel near Treves - Pococke Richard - 1745.jpg, Richard Pococke, 1745 File:Rooker Pars Igel Column.jpg, Engraving by

William Pars William Pars (28 February 1742 – 1782) was an English watercolour portrait and landscape painter, draughtsman, and illustrator. Life and works Pars was born in London, the son of a metal engraver. He studied at "Shipley's Drawing Schoo ...

, 1783 Igel BW 2011-09-03 16-41-58.JPG, File:Igel Säule 3+.jpg, Back of the column File:Igel - Römische Säule 02.jpg, Central relief File:Igel BW 2011-09-03 16-41-58 (cropped).JPG, Detail top File:Igel2.jpg, Polychromed replica in the Rheinisches Landesmuseum Trier

References

{{reflist Buildings and structures in Trier Culture in Trier Ancient Roman buildings and structures in Germany Tourist attractions in Rhineland-Palatinate 3rd-century Roman sculptures World Heritage Sites in Germany Monumental columns in Germany