Built: Around 60 AD
Sculptors: Samus and Severus
Donated by: Residents of the Roman merchant district

The monument was probably erected to commemorate Emperor Nero's escape from a conspiracy. It must therefore have been built between 59 and 67 AD.

Residents of the Roman merchant quarter (located in what is now Mainz's Neustadt district) donated the column in honor of Emperor Nero.

The inscription vaguely reveals the words "Nero" and "pro salute," which together mean "for the salvation of Nero." However, it is only by chance that we can still draw this conclusion today. After his death, Nero, who had been identified as the instigator of the fire of Rome, was treated as an enemy of the state and ostracized. Of course, the inscription at the base of the Jupiter Column in Mainz could not remain. So it was removed—albeit insufficiently.

The 9.14-meter-high column consists of two square blocks and five column drums. Originally, the top was crowned by a larger-than-life statue of Jupiter made of gilded bronze. Only a few fragments of it could be recovered during the excavation.

The name of Emperor Nero in the second and third lines of the inscription on the pedestal was chiseled away after his condemnation.

The inscription on the pedestal translates as follows:

The inhabitants of Canabae (camp town) dedicated this monument to Jupiter Optimus Maximus for the welfare of Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Imperator on the basis of a public law act when Publius Sulcipius Scribonius Proculus was commander-in-chief (of the Upper Germanic army). Quintus Julius Priscus and Quintus Julius Auctus had it built at their own expense.

The replica of Jupiter's Column is normally on display in front of the state parliament building on Große Bleiche, while the original is housed in the stone hall of the State Museum.

In mid-May 2017, however, the copy of the column was dismantled piece by piece. An analysis of the substance had previously determined that the column, which had been severely damaged by weathering, was no longer stable. The analysis was originally carried out because renovation work was to be carried out. As part of this, a 2.40-meter-high bronze figure of Jupiter was to be attached to the capital.

Now the necessary investigations and the segment-by-segment renovation of the column will follow.