ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the different function and meanings imposed on a single Roman monument, the columna Maenia, located in the Roman Forum. It served – at least one point of its existence – as the working station of the triumviri capitales, and its central position at the heart of republican Rome has prompted different interpretations regarding the spirit of the monument and its surroundings. The column served as an honorific monument, but the fame of a heroic Maenius changed into a place that alluded to the debt and shame of another Maenius. By re-evaluating the Latin sources, I consider the process of how individuals and activities, such as the triumviri capitales who held a seat, affected the perception of a place, and what role memory plays in these perceptions.
