The Hippodrome of Constantinople had many monuments and statues, three of which still survive today in Istanbul’s Sultan Ahmet Park. Those are the Serpent Column of Delphi, the Walled Obelisk, and the Obelisk of Theodosius. In the form of a modern park, the area of the former Hippodrome helps still serve as a gathering place for the people of Istanbul today.
WALLED OBELISK/MASONRY OBELISK/BUILT OBELISK:
Originally, according to historian Engin Akyurek, it was built in the 4th century. The Obelisk was renovated and restored by the 10th century Emperor Constantine VII Porphryogennitos. The bronze plates were replaced at this time. There is an inscription on the obelisk from this work:
“The four-sided marvel of the uplifted, wasted by time, now Constantine the Emperor, whose son is Romanos, the glory of the kingship, restores better than the ancient spectacle. For the Colossus was a wonder once in Rhodes, and this is now a brazen wonder here.“
However, the Fourth Crusade clearly did not overly admire Constantine’s work, and tore off the bronze plates and melted them down to make coins. Essentially, like many of the priceless and irreplaceable ancient statues of Constantinople, to make…pennies. I could understand if it was gold, but its very sad to see such things destroyed for such little gain. But that is what 1204 was.
By the time the Romans were able to liberate their capital in 1261, they found it in a destitute and ruined state. The Byzantine imperial budget was never going to be enough to restore Constantinople to its prime. Hippodrome racing was over, and as the hippodrome was falling into ruin, the bronze plates of the walled obelisk were never replaced.
After the fall of Constantinople in 1453, the Turks did not renovate the hippodrome and use it. They did not replace the bronze plates either. However, it remained an important open gathering place for Ottoman Constantinople. Much later on, the Ottomans did restore the monument in the late 19th century, to their credit this saved the monument from collapsing.
THE SERPENT COLUMN OF DELPHI:
The serpent column is truly a piece of amazing ancient history. It predates even the existence of the Roman Empire itself by quite some time. When the serpent column was made in 479BC, the city of Rome was basically an unimportant place. This monunent’s most interesting history really is from before its time in Constantinople.
The serpent column was crafted to be a commemorative monument for the victory of the coalition of Greek city-states over the juggernaut that was the Acheamenid Persian Empire at the battle of Plataea. This monument was highly significant and emotional. Allegedly, the weapons of the fallen soldiers at the battle of Plataea were collected and melted down to get the bronze for the column. Thus, it is is literally made of the same weapons which fought for the freedom of Greece from Persian domination. It also had a golden tripod on top of it. It was presented as a gift to Apollo and placed in his temple at temple in Delphi. Archaeological studies of the serpent column shows that the names of city-states which fought at Plataea are still inscribed in bronze on the base of the serpent column.
But eventually, the days of Greek paganism came to an end, as did all of the Greek polities which fought at Plataea. Greeks bought in to the Roman world, eventually seeing themselves as Romans. Constantine brought the Serpent Column to Constantinople when he built his new city. He wanted to bring grand monuments to make his city truly worth of being compared to Rome. It was already over 800 years old at that point. It was placed front and center in the spina of the Hippodrome of Constantinople, intended to rival the Circus Maximus in Rome. Delphi was the center of the ancient Greek world in many ways, now it was at the new center of the Roman world. It is not exactly clear when the golden tripod disappeared, but it is possible it was taken off when the monument was moved to Constantinople.
Luckily, unlike many other bronze antiquities, this important monument was able to survive the barbaric pillaging of the Fourth Crusade in 1204. Obviously the looters were nearby at the masonry column stealing the bronze plates put on by Constantine VII, they certainly saw the monument. But despite melting countless other statues, they spared this one.
The monument always had a certain magnetism though. Visitors to Constantinople sometimes made note of it in their writings, such as Ignatius, a Russian pilgrim. One pilgrim even said if one was bit by a snake they could touch the monument and be healed. The Spanish ambassador Ruy Gonzales de Clavijo, who visited Constantinople in 1403 saw the serpent column and recorded the following:
“and between those columns there are three copper figures of serpents. They are twisted like a rope, and they have three heads, with open mouths. It is said that these figures were of serpents who were put there, on account of an enchantment which was affected. The city was used to be infested by many serpents, and other evil animals, which killed and poisoned men; but an emperor performed an enchantment over these figures, and serpents have never done any harm to the people of the city, since that time.“
From this account one can see that its historical significance was no longer well understood, and it had taken on a much more mythological/folklore place in society. In Ottoman times it also remained mysterious, but at some point the snake heads were lost. Ive seen it claimed that Mehmed II cut one of the snake heads off which he took the city, in a display of power, however the Ottoman miniature below all but disproves that.
There are also Ottoman sources saying the snake heads fell off on their own on October 20 in the year 1700. That sounds an awful lot like some guy just came and cut them off and they never really knew how it happened. One snake head has survived, found in 1842 during the work of the Fossati’s in Ottoman Constantinople. Today is it in the Istanbul Archaeological Museum. The remaining portion of the Serpent column is 5.5 meters, just the bodies of the snakes with no heads.
THE OBELISK OF THEODOSIUS:
This is probably the most prominent remaining monument in the former hippodrome. This one came all the way from Karnak in Egypt, it used to be at a temple dedicated to the Egyptian god Amon-Ra. It was originally around 34 meters tall, but today it is only 19.5 meters due to being broken at some point in its journey from Egypt to Constantinople. It is possible that is was broken during the installation process, which is why a pedestal was added to make it taller. It is a monolith( a single piece of stone) made of granite which sits on top of four cubes made of bronze.
Constantine the Great had two obelisks taken from there, one for Rome and one for Constantinople. This was a huge logistical undertaking, not to be underestimated. The heavy stone monoliths had to be placed onto rafts and floated down the crocodile infested Nile river and brought to Alexandria. Constantine died before this operation he ordered was complete though, and the obelisks sat in Alexandria for some time after that
Decades later in 357, Constantine’s son Constantius II had the one of them sent to Rome to adorn the Circus Maximus. The Emperor Julian the Apostate had the other obelisk sent to Constantinople in or around 362. But, yet again, the obelisk sat idle for around 30 years without being put in the hippodrome. However, in 390 Emperor Theodosius I decided he would be the man who got it done. It was put in its spot in the spina where it has remained ever since.
The pedestal glorifies the Emperor who sponsored it of course, with two different inscriptions. They also glorify a man named Proclus, whom Theodosius appointed to oversee the project. One inscription is in Latin, and one in the majority tongue of Greek. The Latin inscription translates in English to:
“Difficult once, I was ordered to be obedient to the serene master[s] and, after the tyrant[s] had been extinguished, to carry the palm. All things cede to Theodosius and his undying issue. Thus I, defeated and tamed in thirty days, when Proclus was judge, was raised to the skies above.”
The Greek inscription translates to something similar but different:
“Only the Emperor Theodosius daring to uprise the four-sided pillar, ever lying a burden on the earth, called Proclus to his aid, and so huge a pillar stood up in thirty-two days.“
The base also has sculptures of Theodosius, Valentinian II, and Arcadius and Honorius. In front of the imperial box barbarians kneel and offer gifts to the mighty Emperor, naturally. It is clearly a monument, not dissimilar to the kind of art one might find on a triumphal arch.
The obelisk of Theodosius was described in the 15th century account of Ruy Gonzales de Clavijo
“on the top of those blocks [marble pedestals] there are four square blocks of copper. On the top of these blocks there is an immense stone, sharp at the end, at least six lances in height. It is not fixed in any way; so that it was marvellous to think how so great a mass of stone, yet so sharp and fine, could have been placed there.“
THE STATUES OF THE HIPPODROME:
The hippodrome was also full of many of the finest bronze statues of antiquity. Unfortunately, none of them survive other than the Serpent Column thanks to the Fourth Crusade. However, there are literary mentions.
Niketas Choniates mentions the statues, for the purpose of documenting their destruction by the Crusaders. One of the saddest aspects of the fall of the city in 1204 to these “barbarians” was their destruction of the City’s ancient statues. These statues were made of bronze, and were essentially melted to make what was the equivalent of large quantities of pennies. In poetic terms – “great things were exchanged for small ones, those works fashioned at huge expense were converted into worthless copper coins.” Priceless works which the people of the time, neither in the West nor in Byzantium nor anywhere else, could replicate at that time. Choniates says “because they were in want of money (for the barbarians are unable to sate their love of riches), they covetously eyed the bronze statues and consigned these to the flames.” One of the places they went to find statues to throw in the fires was the Hippodrome, and thus almost none of the artistic riches of antiquity which resided there remain.
Imagine if the Roman Hippodrome of Constantinople was still in modern-day Istanbul? Well this recreation created by Dogukan Palaman is a great attempt! Wouldn’t that be awesome? It is a bit oversized – but it is nonetheless a great work of art.
SOURCES:
For restoration images: https://www.dailysabah.com/arts/istanbuls-2500-year-old-serpent-column-under-restoration/news?gallery_image=undefined#big
Cambridge Elements: The History of Constantinople – The Hippodrome of Constantinople by Engin Akyurek
shadowsofconstantinople.com 