A rostral column is a type of victory column, originating in ancient Greece and Rome where they were erected to commemorate a naval military victory.
Traditionally, rostra – the prows or rams of captured ships – were mounted on top of the columns.
Rostral columns today include the Columbus Memorial at Columbus Circle in New York City, and the twin Saint Petersburg Rostral Columns known as the Strelka on Vasilyevsky Island.
The St Petersburg rostral columns get their name Strelka from the arrow shaped spit of land on which they are built. Strelka ( Стрелка ) is the Russian word for ‘arrow’.
In The Apple Tree 