Stage 3 – Trajan's Forum: The Seal of Power

Info

This entry is part of the city game "The Mystery of the Nine Seals", which takes place entirely in Rome. The game is an addition to the basic tourist guide to Rome - [click] and is a story expansion designed to make the traditional tour of the city more enjoyable.
If you got here, for example, directly from a search engine and want to start the game from the beginning, go to game start page - [click]. If you are looking for just a guide to Rome with practical information about sightseeing, you can go to traditional guide to Rome - [click]

Trajan's Forum

Trajan's Forum is on the map number 3. This is another large archaeological area, but entry to it is restricted.

GPS coordinates

viewpoint on the Forum of Trajan
GPS: 41.894606,12.485205 - click and plot the route to your destination

Trajan's Column
GPS: 41.895820,12.484258 - click and plot the route to your destination

Narration

Trajan's Column casts a shadow like a sword. In the spiral of stone stories, more than just wars is hidden.
Supposedly, one of the scholars disappeared one night while trying to read the entire spiral. All that remained was a note: "Don't look too long - they are looking too."

Puzzle

What event does Trajan's Column depict?

(You'll find the correct answer at the bottom of this page, but don't look there right away. Try to answer the riddle yourself first. That's the fun of it!)

Prize

The reward for solving the puzzle is the third seal: The Emperor's Seal - a symbol of ruthless power. Keep it as proof of solving the third task!

Historical curiosities with a hint of mystery

Trajan's Forum was the largest, most powerful, and – some say – the most prideful of all the imperial forums.
It was here that Emperor Trajan celebrated his victory over the Dacians by erecting a column so tall that the monument's shadow reached over the palaces.
But remember: where the shadow is long, the light must have been blinding.

Trajan's Column - a spiral that traps the soul

More than 2 figures are carved on this column, telling a story of war without using words. But some say the spiral has a magical quality – it is meant to draw the eye and trap the mind. Supposedly, if someone follows the carved story from the bottom to the top, they can lose track of time… or memory.

A tomb hidden in the heart of marble

Inside the column, in a golden cylinder, the ashes of Trajan himself once rested. He was the only emperor to be buried within the Roman walls – the rest were buried outside the city walls. Why was he allowed an exception? What had he promised the Senate… or anyone else?

The Lost Library of Shadows

Trajan's Forum had two monumental libraries, one Greek and one Latin. But many of their scrolls have never been found. Legend has it that there was a third room, without windows, where forbidden works written by mad poets and astrologers were kept. Its doors were bricked up under Hadrian, and the stone of the lintel was said to bear the sign of... a trident.

***

"This forum was built on victory. But the shadow that was left behind outlasted the glory itself."

***

Answer to the riddle

Click to reveal the answer to the riddle

The column shows the wars with the Dacians

Dacian Wars (101–102 and 105–106 AD)
In the shadow of the Carpathians and the wild forests of present-day Romania, some of the most bloody and ruthless wars of the Roman Empire took place. Dacia, a harsh land, full of steep gorges and mysterious temples, was home to a people as hardy as rocks, who did not easily submit to the Roman order.
The wars with the Dacians were fought by Emperor Trajan, who wanted not only fame but also gold, because Dacia was saturated with it. But it was not only about wealth: the Dacians, led by the legendary king Decebalus, were a thorn in Rome's side, organizing bold raids on its northern borders.

Curiosities and dark facts

Human sacrifices and blood rituals
In Dacian belief, blood had the power of purification and communication with the afterlife. Historians suggest that human sacrifices were made before battles, and priests called kapnobatai ("smoke walkers") would induce a trance with hallucinogenic vapors.

Decebalus – the warrior king who cheated death… for a moment
After his defeat in the second war, Decebalus refused to let the Romans take his life. According to the chronicles, he cut his throat with a curved dagger and died by his own hand. The Romans nevertheless cut off his head and sent it back to Trajan as a gift.

Gold and the spirits of the mountains
The Romans were fascinated and terrified by the vast systems of tunnels and gold mines in Dacia. It was said that the spirits of their ancestors guarded these underground places, and many legionnaires who descended too deep never returned.

Trajan's Column - a monument to triumph and crime
In Rome, the monumental Column of Trajan was erected—a story carved in stone. Although it is a masterpiece of art, some scholars also see in it a dark warning: the faces of dying Dacians, the ruins of cities, children taken prisoner. It is not only a triumph, but also a warning.

The sign of the raven and mysterious symbols
The Dacians worshipped the raven as a messenger of the war gods. Roman soldiers who saw black birds soaring over the battlefield believed it was a bad omen – many of them never returned across the Danube.

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