View source for Hippodrome of Constantinople

{{Short description|Historic public square in Istanbul, Turkey}}
{{distinguish|text=the [[Covered Hippodrome]], a nearby structure belonging to the Great Palace}}
{{Update|the modern square|date=March 2021}}
{{More citations needed|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox historic site
| name                    = Hippodrome
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| other_name              = Sultanahmet Square ({{lang|tr|Sultanahmet Meydanı}})
| image                   = Sultanahmet Square, Obelisk of Theodosius, Istanbul (52121868925).jpg
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| caption                 = [[Obelisk of Theodosius]] in Sultanahmet Square today
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| location                = [[Istanbul]], Turkey
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The '''Hippodrome of Constantinople''' ({{langx|el|Ἱππόδρομος τῆς Κωνσταντινουπόλεως|Hippódromos tēs Kōnstantinoupóleōs}}; {{langx|la|[[Circus Maximus]] Constantinopolitanus}}; {{langx|tr|Hipodrom}}) was a [[Roman circus|circus]] that was the sporting and social centre of [[Constantinople]], capital of the [[Byzantine Empire]]. Today it is a square in [[Istanbul]], Turkey, known as '''Sultanahmet Square''' ({{langx|tr|Sultanahmet Meydanı}}). 

The word ''[[hippodrome]]'' comes from the Greek {{lang|grc-latn|hippos}} ({{lang|grc|ἵππος}}), [[horse]], and {{lang|grc-latn|dromos}} ({{lang|grc-Grek|δρόμος|italic=no}}), path or way. For this reason, it is sometimes also called {{lang|tr|Atmeydanı}} ("Horse Square") in Turkish. [[Horse racing]] and [[chariot racing]] were popular pastimes in the ancient world and hippodromes were common features of Greek cities in the [[Hellenistic]], [[Ancient Rome|Roman]], and Byzantine eras.

== History and use ==

=== Construction ===
[[File:A view from The Sphendone of the Hippodrome.jpg|thumb|Virtual image of Constantinople in [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine era]] with the hippodrome to the left.|left]][[File:Constantinople imperial district.png|thumb|Location of the Hippodrome in Constantinople]]
Although the Hippodrome is usually associated with Constantinople's days of glory as an imperial capital, it actually predates that era. The first Hippodrome was built when the city was called [[Byzantium]], and was a provincial town of moderate importance. In AD 203 the Emperor [[Septimius Severus]] rebuilt the city and expanded its [[city wall|walls]], endowing it with a hippodrome, an arena for chariot races and other entertainment.

In AD 324, the Emperor [[Constantine the Great]] decided to refound Byzantium after his victory at the nearby [[Battle of Chrysopolis]]; he renamed it ''Nova Roma'' ([[New Rome]]). This name failed to impress and the city soon became known as Constantinople, the City of Constantine. Constantine greatly enlarged the city, and one of his major undertakings was the renovation of the Hippodrome. It is estimated that the Hippodrome of Constantine was about {{convert|450|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} long and {{convert|130|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} wide. The ''[[carceres]]'' (starting gates) stood at the northern end; and the ''sphendone'' (curved tribune of the U-shaped structure, the lower part of which still survives) stood at the southern end.<ref name="lonelyplanet.com">{{cite web|url=https://www.lonelyplanet.com/turkey/istanbul/attractions/hippodrome/a/poi-sig/402118/360887|title=Hippodrome - Istanbul, Turkey Attractions|website=www.lonelyplanet.com}}</ref> The ''spina''  (the middle barrier of the racecourse) was adorned with various monuments, including the monolithic obelisk, the erection of which is depicted in relief carvings on its base.

The [[Stadium seating|stands]] were capable of holding around 100,000 spectators. The race-track at the Hippodrome was U-shaped, and the [[Kathisma]] (emperor's lodge) was located at the eastern end of the track. The Kathisma could be accessed directly from the [[Great Palace of Constantinople|Great Palace]] through a passage which only the emperor or other members of the imperial family could use.

=== Decoration ===
[[File:Hipodrom.jpg|thumb|left|Ruins of the Hippodrome, from an engraving by [[Onofrio Panvinio]] in his work ''De Ludis Circensibus'' ([[Venice]], 1600). The engraving, dated 1580, may be based on a drawing from the late 15th century.<ref>E. Jeffreys et al. (eds.), ''The Oxford handbook of Byzantine studies'' (2008), 207; R. Krautheimer, ''Three Christian capitals: topography and politics'' (1983), 136 n. 14.</ref> The ''[[spina (Roman circus)|spina]]'' that stood at the center of the chariot racing circuit was still visible then; in modern Istanbul, three of the ancient monuments remain.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/history/2012/03/blue-versus-green-rocking-the-byzantine-empire/|title=Blue versus Green: Rocking the Byzantine Empire|first=Mike|last=Dash}}</ref>]]

The hippodrome was filled with statues of gods, emperors, animals, and heroes, among them some famous works, such as a 4th-century BC [[Heracles]] by [[Lysippos]], [[Romulus]] and [[Remus]] with the she-wolf [[Lupa (mythology)|Lupa]], and the 5th-century BC [[Serpent Column]].<ref name="Statues in the hippodrome">{{cite journal | author=Sarah Guberti Bassett| title=The Antiquities in the Hippodrome of Constantinople | journal=Dumbarton Oaks Papers| year=1991| volume=45| pages=87–96| doi=10.2307/1291694 | publisher=Dumbarton Oaks Papers, Vol. 45 | jstor=1291694}}</ref> The ''carceres'' had four statues of horses in gilded copper on top, now called the [[Horses of Saint Mark]]. The horses' exact [[Greece|Greek]] or [[Ancient Rome|Roman]] ancestry has never been determined. They were looted during the [[Fourth Crusade]] in 1204 and installed on the façade of [[St Mark's Basilica]] in [[Venice]]. The track was lined with other bronze statues of famous horses and chariot drivers, none of which survive. In his book {{Lang|la|[[De Ceremoniis]]}} (book II,15, 589), the Emperor [[Constantine Porphyrogenitus]] described the decorations in the hippodrome at the occasion of the visit of [[Saracen]] or Arab visitors, mentioning the purple hangings and rare tapestries.<ref name="De Ceremoniis">{{cite journal | author=Rodolphe Guilland| title=The Hippodrome at Byzantium| journal=Speculum| year=1948| volume=23| issue=4| pages=676–682| doi=10.2307/2850448 | publisher=Speculum, Vol. 23, No. 4| jstor=2850448| s2cid=162820978}}</ref> According to [[Hesychius of Miletus]], there was once a statue of [[Hecate]] at the site.<ref>''[[Patria of Constantinople]]''</ref>

=== Functions ===
{{Main article|Hippodrome factions}}
[[File:Hippodrome in 1573.png|thumb|Illustration of the Hippodrome in the ''[[Album amicorum]]'' of [[Lambert Wyts]], {{Circa|1573}}]]
Throughout the Byzantine period, the Hippodrome was the centre of the city's social life. Huge amounts were bet on chariot races, and initially four teams took part in these races, each one financially sponsored and supported by a different political party (Deme) within the [[Byzantine Senate]]: The [[Blues (Byzantine Empire)|Blues]] (Venetoi), the [[Greens (Byzantine Empire)|Greens]] (Prasinoi), the Reds (Rousioi) and the Whites (Leukoi). The Reds (Rousioi) and the Whites (Leukoi) gradually weakened and were absorbed by the other two major factions (the Blues and Greens).

A total of up to eight chariots (two chariots per team), powered by four horses each, competed on the racing track of the Hippodrome. These races were not simple sporting events, but also provided some of the rare occasions in which the emperor and the common citizens could come together in a single venue. Political discussions were often made at the Hippodrome, which could be directly accessed by the emperor through a passage that connected the Kathisma with the [[Great Palace of Constantinople]].

The [[Blues and Greens in the Byzantine Empire|rivalry between the Blues and Greens]] often became mingled with political or religious rivalries, and sometimes riots, which amounted to civil wars that broke out in the city between them. The most extreme of these was the [[Nika riots]] of 532, in which an estimated 30,000 people were killed<ref>This is the number given by Procopius, ''Wars'' ([http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/procop-wars1.html Internet Medieval Sourcebook].)</ref> and many important buildings were destroyed, such as the nearby [[Hagia Sophia#Church of Theodosius II|second Hagia Sophia]], the Byzantine [[cathedral]]. The current (third) Hagia Sophia was built by [[Justinian I]] following the Nika riots.

=== Decline ===
Constantinople never recovered from its sack during the [[Fourth Crusade]] and even though the Byzantine Empire survived until 1453, by that time, the Hippodrome had fallen into ruin, pillaged by the Venetians who likely took the [[Horses of Saint Mark|four horses]] now in San Marco from a monument there.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.venetoinside.com/discover-veneto/venice-art-cities/venice/points-of-interest/st-marks-museum/|title=Museo San Marco Venezia - St Mark's Museum Venice Italy|website=www.venetoinside.com}}</ref> The Ottomans, whose Sultan [[Mehmed II]] captured the city in 1453 and made it the capital of the [[Ottoman Empire]], were not interested in chariot racing and the Hippodrome was gradually forgotten, although the site was never actually built over. The hippodrome was used as a source of building stone, however.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/technology/hippodrome-architecture|title=Hippodrome - architecture|website=Encyclopedia Britannica}}</ref>

== Hippodrome monuments ==
=== Serpent Column ===
{{Main|Serpent Column}}
[[File:Istanbul, İstanbul, Turkey - panoramio (401).jpg|thumb|The [[Serpent Column]]]]
To raise the image of his new capital, Constantine and his successors, especially [[Theodosius the Great]], brought works of art from all over the empire to adorn it. The monuments were set up in the middle of the Hippodrome, the ''spina''. Among these was the [[sacrificial tripod]] of [[Plataea]], now known as the Serpent Column, cast to celebrate the [[Battle of Plataea|victory of the Greeks over the Persians]] during the [[Persian Wars]] in the 5th century BC. Constantine ordered the Tripod to be moved from the [[Temple of Apollo (Delphi)|Temple of Apollo]] at [[Delphi]], and set in middle of the Hippodrome. The top was adorned with a golden bowl supported by three serpent heads, although it appears that this was never brought to Constantinople. The serpent heads and top third of the column were destroyed in 1700.<ref>Thomas F. Madden, "The Serpent Column of Delphi in Constantinople: Placement, Purposes, and Mutilations," ''Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies'' 16 (1992): 111-45.</ref> Parts of the heads were recovered and are displayed at the [[Istanbul Archaeology Museum]]. All that remains of the Delphi Tripod today is the base, known as the "Serpent Column".

=== Obelisk of Thutmose III ===
{{Main|Obelisk of Theodosius}}
[[File:Obelisk of Thutmosis III in Istanbul.jpg|thumb|The [[Obelisk of Theodosius]], originally erected by Pharaoh [[Thutmose III]] at the [[Temple of Karnak]] in [[Luxor]], was brought to Constantinople by [[Theodosius the Great]] for adorning the ''spina'' of the Hippodrome.]]

Another emperor to adorn the Hippodrome was [[Theodosius I|Theodosius the Great]], who in 390 brought an [[obelisk]] from [[Egypt]] and erected it inside the racing track. Carved from pink granite, it was originally erected at the [[Temple of Karnak]] in [[Luxor]] during the reign of [[Thutmose III]] in about 1490 BC. Theodosius had the obelisk cut into three pieces and brought it to Constantinople. The top section survives, and it stands today where Theodosius placed it, on a marble pedestal. The [[granite]] obelisk has survived nearly 3,500 years in good condition.

=== Walled Obelisk ===
{{main|Walled Obelisk}}
[[File:Constantine Obelisk.jpg|thumb|The [[Walled Obelisk]]]]
In the 10th century the Emperor [[Constantine Porphyrogenitus]] built another obelisk at the other end of the Hippodrome. It was originally covered with gilded bronze plaques, but they were sacked by Latin troops in the Fourth Crusade.<ref name="lonelyplanet.com"/> The stone core of this monument also survives, known as the [[Walled Obelisk]].

=== Statues of Porphyrius ===
Seven statues were erected on the ''Spina'' of the Hippodrome in honour of [[Porphyrius the Charioteer]], a legendary charioteer of the early 6th century who in his time raced for the two parties which were called "[[Greens (Byzantine Empire)|Greens]]" and "[[Blues (Byzantine Empire)|Blues]]". None of these statues have survived. The bases of two of them have survived and are displayed in the Istanbul Archaeological Museum.

== Contemporary description ==
[[File:Sultanahmet Square, German Fountain, Istanbul (52121614824).jpg|thumb|left|[[German Fountain]]]]
The area is officially called Sultanahmet Square. It is maintained by the Turkish government. The course of the old racetrack has been indicated with paving, although the actual track is some {{convert|2|m|ft|abbr=on}} below the present surface. The surviving monuments of the ''Spina'', the two obelisks and the Serpentine Column, now sit excavated in pits in a landscaped garden.

The [[German Fountain]] ("The Kaiser Wilhelm Fountain"), an octagonal domed fountain in [[Neo-Byzantine architecture|neo-Byzantine style]], which was constructed by the German government in 1900 to mark the visit of the German Emperor [[Wilhelm II]] to Istanbul in 1898, is located at the northern entrance to the Hippodrome area, right in front of the Blue Mosque.

In 1855, [[Charles Thomas Newton]], the English archaeologist who excavated [[Halicarnassus]] and [[Cnidus]], excavated the one surviving jaw of a snake from the Serpent Column. The Hippodrome was excavated by the Director of the Istanbul Archeological Museums, archaeologist Rüstem Duyuran in 1950 and 1951.<ref>Erdem, Yasemin Tümer. "Atatürk Dönemi Arkeoloji Çalışmalarından Biri: Sultanahmet Kazısı," ATATÜRK ARAŞTIRMA MERKEZİ DERGİSİ, Sayı 62, Cilt: XXI, July 2005. [http://www.atam.gov.tr/index.php?Page=DergiIcerik&IcerikNo=1069 İstanbul’da yapılan başlıca arkeolojik araştırmalar = Principal Archeological Researches... İstanbul / Rüstem Duyuran. 1957.]</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://katalog.ibb.gov.tr/fmi/xsl/yordam/y1_liste.xsl?-db=YordamBT&-token.d=&-token.gt=&-token.yzyzm=yzm&cAlanlar=Duyuran%2C+R%C3%BCstem&-find |title=Retrieved on 11 March 2010. |access-date=14 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161222140700/http://katalog.ibb.gov.tr/fmi/xsl/yordam/y1_liste.xsl?-db=YordamBT&-token.d=&-token.gt=&-token.yzyzm=yzm&cAlanlar=Duyuran%2C+R%C3%BCstem&-find |archive-date=22 December 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref> A portion of the substructures of the ''sphendone'' (the curved end) became more visible in the 1980s with the clearing of houses in the area. In 1993 an area in front of the nearby Sultanahmet Mosque (the [[Blue Mosque, Istanbul|Blue Mosque]]) was bulldozed in order to install a public building, uncovering several rows of seats and some columns from the Hippodrome. Investigation did not continue further, but the seats and columns were removed and can now be seen in Istanbul's museums. It is possible that much more of the Hippodrome's remains still lie beneath the parkland of Sultanahmet.

The Hippodrome was depicted on the [[Obverse and reverse|reverse]] of the Turkish 500 [[Turkish lira|lira]] banknotes of 1953–1976.<ref>[http://www.tcmb.gov.tr/yeni/eng/ Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090615060512/http://www.tcmb.gov.tr/yeni/eng/ |date=2009-06-15 }}. Banknote Museum: 5. Emission Group - Five Hundred Turkish Lira - [http://www.tcmb.gov.tr/yeni/banknote/E5/182.htm I. Series] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090204092416/http://tcmb.gov.tr/yeni/banknote/E5/182.htm |date=2009-02-04 }}, [http://www.tcmb.gov.tr/yeni/banknote/E5/184.htm II. Series] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090204092417/http://tcmb.gov.tr/yeni/banknote/E5/184.htm |date=2009-02-04 }}, [http://www.tcmb.gov.tr/yeni/banknote/E5/186.htm III. Series] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090204092422/http://tcmb.gov.tr/yeni/banknote/E5/186.htm |date=2009-02-04 }} & [http://www.tcmb.gov.tr/yeni/banknote/E5/188.htm IV. Series] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090204092430/http://tcmb.gov.tr/yeni/banknote/E5/188.htm |date=2009-02-04 }}. – Retrieved on 20 April 2009.</ref>

== Image gallery ==
<gallery>
File:HippodromeofConstantinopleSultanahmetSquare.jpg|Sultanahmet Square from the sky, the surviving lower walls of the Sphendone of the Hippodrome is visible.
File:Hippodrome Sphendone Constantinopel March 2008panoc.jpg|The surviving lower walls of the ''Sphendone'', the [[Stadium#Spectator areas and seating|curved grandstand]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://vividmaps.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/konstantin.jpg|title=An illustration of Byzantine era Constantinople, with the Hippodrome of Constantinople appearing prominently at the center of the image|website=vividmaps.com|accessdate=31 January 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://i.ibb.co/rtX3fBr/Hippodrome-of-Constantinople-with-the-Sphendone-in-the-foreground.jpg|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210831144527/https://i.ibb.co/rtX3fBr/Hippodrome-of-Constantinople-with-the-Sphendone-in-the-foreground.jpg|url-status=usurped|archive-date=August 31, 2021|title=Aerial view of the Hippodrome of Constantinople, with the surviving lower walls of the Sphendone (curved grandstand) in the foreground|accessdate=31 January 2021}}</ref> of the Hippodrome
File:Horses of Basilica San Marco.jpg|The four bronze horses that stood atop the Hippodrome boxes, today at [[St Mark's Basilica|St. Mark's Basilica]] in [[Venice]]
File:Porphyrios Hippodrome Istanbul.JPG|Base of the statues of Porphyrios, kept in the Istanbul Museum
File:Capital Hippodrome.JPG|Capital with [[protomes]] of ''[[pegasi]]'', probably 6th-century, possibly from the ''kathisma''
File:Hippodrome of Constantinople 1.jpg|The Hippodrome in 2005, with the [[Walled Obelisk]] in the foreground and the [[Obelisk of Theodosius|Obelisk of Thutmose III]] on the right
File:Istambul cokol1RB.JPG|The base of the [[Obelisk of Theodosius|Obelisk of Thutmose III]] showing Emperor [[Theodosius I|Theodosius]] as he offers a [[laurel wreath]] to the victor from the ''Kathisma'' at the Hippodrome
File:Surname 338b-339a.jpg|Procession of the guilds in front of the Sultan in the Hippodrome, [[Ottoman miniature]] from the ''[[Surname-i Vehbi]]'' (1582)
File:Jean-Baptiste van Mour 002.jpg|''The Grand Vizier Crossing the Atmeydanı'' by [[Jean Baptiste Vanmour]] shows the Hippodrome and the [[Blue Mosque, Istanbul|Blue Mosque]] in the early 17th century
File:Cambridge, Trinity College, ms. O.17.2 (20).jpg|Watercolour of the Hippodrome's ''spina'' and Hagia Sophia from a [[manuscript]] in the library of [[Trinity College, Cambridge]]
File:Mosque of Sultan Achmet.jpg|Engraving by [[William Watts (engraver)|William Watts]] after [[Luigi Mayer]] of the ''Atmeydanı'' and the  Blue Mosque
File:Arab captive displays his skill with two spears in Constantinople.jpg|Depiction of an Arab captive demonstrating his skills to the emperor in the Hippodrome. Miniature from the 12th century [[Madrid Skylitzes]].
</gallery>

== References ==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
*[[Kurt Weitzmann|Weitzmann, Kurt]], ed., ''[http://libmma.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p15324coll10/id/156533 Age of spirituality: late antique and early Christian art, third to seventh century]'', no. 101, 1979, [[Metropolitan Museum of Art]], New York, {{ISBN|9780870991790}}; full text available online from The Metropolitan Museum of Art Libraries
* Pitarakis, Brigitte & Isin, Ekrem, ed., ''Hippodrom/Atmeydani: istanbul’un tarih sahnesi ''-'' Hippodrome/Atmeydani: A stage for Istanbul’s history'', 2 volumes, 2010, Pera Müsezi, Istanbul.
*Langdale, Allan. [https://www.amazon.ca/Hippodrome-Istanbul-Constantinople-Illustrated-Handbook/dp/0578404079 The Hippodrome of Istanbul / Constantinople: an illustrated handbook of its history] (2019).

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Hippodrome of Constantinople}}
* [http://www.byzantium1200.com/hipodrom.html Byzantium 1200 | Hippodrome] with images of original appearance
* [https://pbase.com/dosseman/isthippodrome Over 150 pictures of the monuments]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070928094925/http://www.e-turkey.net/v/istanbul_sultanahmet_hippodrome_constantinople/ Photos with explanations]

{{Proximate landmarks of Istanbul}}
{{Public spaces of Constantinople}}
{{Byzantine Empire topics|state=collapsed}}
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:Hippodrome of Constantinople| ]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures completed in the 3rd century]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures completed in the 4th century]]
[[Category:Horse racing venues in Turkey]]
[[Category:Fatih]]
[[Category:Landmarks in Turkey]]
[[Category:Byzantine secular architecture]]
[[Category:Byzantine architecture in Istanbul]]