The Big Jupiter column, Roman monument in Mainz, Germany.

The Big Jupiter Column consists of two nearly cubic base blocks and five slightly tapering column drums, carved from Keuper stone and Verdun limestone. The column alone measures 9.14 m; with the 3.36 m statue of Jupiter on its Corinthian capital it reached 12.50 m. The bases and drums carry reliefs of 28 deities of Roman and Celtic mythology, from Jupiter and Fortuna to Luna and Sol.

The monument was created during Emperor Nero's reign between 54 and 68 AD by sculptors Samus and Severus in Mogontiacum. The column shows how the Romans established their power and religious beliefs in this conquered region.

The column's name comes from the god it honours: a statue of Jupiter stood on top, and his figure with thunderbolt and eagle appears on the lower pedestal block. The other faces show Fortuna with her cornucopia and rudder, Minerva with an owl, Mercury with winged helmet and caduceus, and Hercules with club and lion skin. The settlement's inhabitants, called canabarii, dedicated it together with an altar for thank-offerings.

The original pieces are on display at the Landesmuseum Mainz, while a replica has been placed near the Römisch-Germanisches Zentralmuseum. Both locations are in Mainz and easy to reach if you want to explore Roman history.

The lower pedestal block was CT-scanned at the Fraunhofer Institute in Fürth, making it the largest archaeological stone object examined this way. The 2016–2021 restoration also relied on mason's marks that fixed the order of the column sections.