ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Column of Marcus Aurelius

The Column of Marcus Aurelius is a really tall tower that was built a loooooong time ago by some really smart people who wanted to celebrate the victories of their leader, Marcus Aurelius. It's very tall because they wanted it to be seen from far away and remind people of how great Marcus Aurelius was.

On the outside of the column, there are lots and lots of pictures that tell stories about the wars and battles that Marcus Aurelius won. These pictures start at the bottom and go all the way to the top of the column in a spiral. So, if you wanted to see all the pictures, you would have to walk around and around the column until you got to the very top!

Now, you might be wondering how they built such a big tower. Well, they used really strong stone and they had special tools to carve out the pictures. They also had to use cranes and pulleys to lift the big stones up to the top of the tower.

People still come to see the Column of Marcus Aurelius today and it's like a big history lesson in a tower.
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