The Antiquities of Constantinople (Annotated)

Enriched Edition. A Renaissance Survey of Byzantine Monuments, Ottoman Istanbul Topography, and Classical RuinsBy Pierre Gilles

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The Antiquities of Constantinople is a foundational humanist survey of the city's ancient topography, monuments, inscriptions, churches, cisterns, columns, and imperial ruins. Written in a learned yet observant prose, it combines classical erudition with eyewitness description, attempting to reconcile Byzantine remains with Greek and Roman textual authorities. In the literary context of Renaissance antiquarianism, the book stands beside the great topographical studies of Rome, but turns that method toward a city newly transformed under Ottoman rule. Pierre Gilles, or Petrus Gyllius, was a sixteenth-century French scholar, naturalist, and traveler whose command of Greek and Latin equipped him to read Constantinople as both a physical site and a historical text. Sent eastward in the orbit of French royal and diplomatic interests, he encountered a city whose visible fabric preserved fragments of empire, theology, and conquest. His antiquarian curiosity, sharpened by direct exploration, gave the work its enduring authority. This book is recommended to readers of Byzantine history, classical reception, urban archaeology, and Renaissance scholarship. It rewards anyone interested in how cities survive through ruins, memory, and interpretation. This enriched edition has been carefully crafted to add value to your reading experience. - Hand‐picked Memorable Quotes shine a spotlight on moments of literary brilliance. - Interactive footnotes clarify unusual references, historical allusions, and archaic phrases for an effortless, more informed read.

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Audiobook details

GenreHistory

Length10 hrs 9 mins

Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices

FormateBook with Audio

Publish dateDec 12, 2023

LanguageEnglish

1Introduction

2THE PREFACE OF THE AUTHOR, Describing the Situation of Constantinople , the Conveniences of its Port, and the Commodities in which it abounds.

3THE ANTIQUITIES OF Constantinople . BOOK I.

4Chap. I. Of the Founders of Byzantium, and the different Successes and Revolutions of that City .

5Chap. II. Of the Extent of Old Byzantium.

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6Chap. III. Of the Rebuilding of Byzantium by Constantine the Great, and the Largeness of it in his Time .

7Chap. IV. Of the present Figure, Compass, Length and Breadth of Constantinople.

8Chap. V. A general Description of Constantinople.

9Chap. VI. Of the Situation of all the Parts of the City describ’d.

10Chap. VII. Of the first Hill, of the Palace of the Grand Seignor, of the Church of St. Sophia, and the Hippodrom.

11Chap. VIII. Of the first Valley.

12Chap. IX. Of the second Hill.

13Chap. X. Of the second Valley, which divides the second from the third Hill.

14Chap. XI. Of the third Hill.

15Chap. XII. Of the third Valley.

16Chap. XIII. Of the fourth Hill.

17Chap. XIV. Of the Fifth Hill.

18Chap. XV. Of the Fifth Valley.

19Chap. XVI.

20Chap. XVII. Of the Valley which divides the Promontory from the seventh Hill .

21Chap. XVIII. Of the seventh Hill.

22Chap. XIX. Of the Walls of the City.

23Chap. XX. Of the Gates of Constantinople, and the seven Towers of Old Byzantium.

24Chap. XXI. Of the long Walls.

25THE ANTIQUITIES OF Constantinople . BOOK II.

26Chap. I. Of the Buildings and Monuments of Old Byzantium and Constantinople, called New Rome.

27Chap. II. Of the Ancient Monuments of the first Hill, and of the first Ward of the City .

28Chap. III. Of the Church of St. Sophia.

29Chap. IV. A Description of the Church of St. Sophia, as it now appears .

30Chap. V. Of the Statues discover’d on one Side of the Church of St. Sophia.

31Chap. VI. Of the Pharo on the Promontory Ceras, and the Mangana.

32Chap. VII. Of the Bagnio’s of Zeuxippus and its Statues .

33Chap. VIII. Of the Hospitals of Sampson and Eubulus.

34Chap. IX. Of the Statue of Eudoxia Augusta, for which St. Chrysostom was sent into Banishment .

35Chap. X. Of those Parts of the City which are contain’d in the third Ward.

36Chap. XI. Of the Hippodrom, its Obelisk, its Statues, and Columns.

37Chap. XII. Of the Colossus.

38Chap. XIII. Of some other Columns in the Hippodrom.

39Chap. XIV. Of the Church of Bacchus, the Court of Hormisda, and the House of Justinian.

40Chap. XV. Of the Port of Julian, and Sophia; of the Portico nam’d Sigma, and the Palace of Sophia.

41Chap. XVI. Of the Fourth Ward.

42Chap. XVII. Of the Forum called the Augustæum, of the Pillar of Theodosius, and Justinian, and the Senate-House.

43Chap. XVIII. Of the Imperial Palace, the Basilica; of the Palace of Constantine, and the House of Entrance nam’d Chalca.

44Chap. XIX. Of the Basilica, and the Imperial Walks .

45Chap. XX. Of the Imperial Library, and Portico; as also of the Imperial Cistern.

46Chap. XXI. Of the Chalcopratia.

47Chap. XXII. Of the Portico’s situate between the Palace, and the Forum of Constantine.

48Chap. XXIII. Of the Miliarium Aureum and its Statues, and of the Fortune of the City, and her Statue .

49Chap. XXIV. Of the Temple of Neptune, of the Church of St. Mina, (or Menna) of the Stadia, and the Stairs of Timasius.

50Chap. XXV. Of the Lausus, and its Statues; namely, a Venus of Cnidos, a Juno of Samos, a Minerva of Lindia, a winged Cupid, a Jupiter Olympius, a Saturn, Unicorns, Tygers, Vultures, Beasts that are half Camels, and half Panthers; of the Cistern of the Hospital called Philoxenos, and the Chrysotriclinium.