Column Maenia

The Columna Maenia was an honorary column erected in the comitium of the Roman republic by Gaius Maenius in 338 BC for his victory over the Latins at the Battle of Antium. The column was used as part of an elaborate timing device which determined the final hour of the day when the sun was viewed from the Curia Hostilia passing the column, moving towards the Carcer. Various petty criminals were bound to the column as a form of public punishment.