Roman forum and triumphal column in Constantinople (Istanbul, Turkey)
The
Forum of Theodosius
(
Greek
:
Φ?ρο? Θεοδοσ?ου
, today
Beyazıt Square
) was probably the largest square in
Constantinople
and stood on the
Mese
, the major road that ran west from
Hagia Sophia
(
Turkish
: Ayasofya).
[1]
It was originally built by
Constantine I
and named the
Forum Tauri
("
Forum
of the Bull"). In 393, however, it was renamed after Emperor
Theodosius I
, who rebuilt it after the model of
Trajan's Forum
in
Rome
, surrounded by civic buildings such as churches and baths and decorated with a triumphal column at its centre.
[2]
This forum should not be confused with the
Strategion
, a probably Hellenistic
agora
renewed by
Theodosius I
, lying near today's
Sirkeci
and also named after him
Forum Theodosii
.
[3]
Column of Theodosius
[
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]
Somewhere in the forum stood a
Roman triumphal column
erected in honour of Emperor
Theodosius I
by his son
Arcadius
, who ruled as the
Eastern Emperor
after his father's death in A.D. 395. It probably stood in what is now the grounds of Istanbul University, on the north side of Beyazıt Square.
[4]
Its shaft, decorated with relief sculpture depicting this emperor's victory over the barbarians, was surmounted by a marble effigy.
[5]
An internal
spiral staircase
allowed technicians to reach the top of the column (a
stylite monk
lived there towards the end of the mid-Byzantine period). The statue of Theodosius collapsed during the earthquake of 478 although the column remained standing. It had no statue until 506 when a new statue of
Anastasius I Dicorus
was erected instead. Emperor
Alexios V
was executed in 1204 by being thrown from the column. The column remained standing until the end of the 15th century, and some pieces of it were re-used in the construction of the
Beyazıt Hamamı
(Bath of
Patrona Halil
).
[6]
Basilica
[
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]
Excavations for the foundation trenches of the Faculty of Letters and Sciences of Istanbul University uncovered the remains of three basilicas. Their identities and names are unknown, and so they are called Basilicas "A", "B", and "C".
[7]
Basilica A is the only
Justinianian
-era (527?565) basilica whose plan is known. It had several distinct characteristics. Its central space was nearly square, with two side courtyards. The
narthex
on the west side connected with the courtyards. The intervals between the columns separating the basilica's naves were closed off by balustrade slabs. The capitals resembled those at
Hagia Sophia
, also built by Justinian. The large pulpit (
ambo
) found in Basilica A is one of the few surviving
ambos
from the early Byzantine period and is kept in the garden of the Hagia Sophia.
[8]
Triumphal arch
[
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]
A marble
triumphal arch
of
Proconnesian
marble was erected on the west side of the Forum. The triumphal arch had a vaulted roof with three passageways. The central archway was wider and higher than the other two and flanked by four-column piers carved in the form of
Herculean
clubs grasped by a fist. Built to mimic triumphal arches in Rome itself, it had a central statue of Theodosius flanked by statues of his sons
Arcadius
and
Honorius
on its top. Some assumed pieces of the Arch came to light between 1948 and 1961 when Ordu Street and Beyazıt Square were being redeveloped.
[9]
They can be seen on the south side of Ordu Street, opposite the
hamam
.
[10]
Today, the main street beginning in Hagia Sophia Square runs to the west along basically the same route as the ancient Mese road, which formed the main artery of the old city. Having passed through Theodosius's triumphal arch, the Mese continued on to
Thrace
and the
Balkan
peninsula. The triumphal arch and the ancient buildings around it (to which surviving ruins in the area possibly belong) were destroyed as a result of invasions, earthquakes (the central arch and the statue of Arcadius collapsed in 558; the rest of the arch was destroyed by the
Constantinople earthquake
of 740) and other natural disasters from the 5th century onwards. They were completely destroyed long before the
Fall of Constantinople
in 1453.
See also
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References
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Sources
[
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External links
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41°0′35″N
28°57′49″E
/
41.00972°N 28.96361°E
/
41.00972; 28.96361
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