Rostral columns of Gaius Duilius, Victory monument in Roman Forum, Italy

The rostral columns of Gaius Duilius were two victory columns: one stood near the Circus Maximus, the other on the Republican Rostra at the Comitium before being moved to the Forum esplanade. The column itself is lost; only its base with a dedicatory inscription survives, found in 1565 and kept in the Capitoline Museums.

These columns were erected around 260 BC to commemorate a major Roman naval victory against Carthage. Their style and location set a template that later Roman leaders would follow when building their own monuments.

These columns mark how Romans celebrated victories and honored their military commanders in public spaces. They show the way power and achievement were displayed for all citizens to see.

The column itself is lost; only its inscribed base survives, found in 1565 near the Arch of Septimius Severus and now in the Capitoline Museums, Palazzo Nuovo. To see the original findspot, walk the Forum esplanade by the arch; the inscription is read in the museum.

Only the base of the column survives, found in 1565 near the Arch of Septimius Severus and now in the Capitoline Museums. Its dedicatory inscription was restored around 150 BC and again in the first half of the 1st century AD; some scholars argue it was actually carved under Claudius, who had it made to look archaic.