Constantinople: Archaeology of a Byzantine Megapolis

Istanbul, Europe's largest city, was chosen by Constantine the Great as a new Roman capital city. This archaeological assessment explores over a thousand years of the city's development, focusing on the inter-mural area between the 5th-century land walls and the Constantinian city wall. It proposes a new model of Byzantine Constantinople, exploring social, economic, and cognitive development, Byzantine perceptions of the city, the consequences of imperial ideology, and the impact of self-organization.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 208 pages
Publication date: 15 March 2022
Publisher: Oxbow Books

Istanbul, the largest city in Europe, emerged as an urban center of remarkable magnitude when it was selected by Constantine the Great as the new Roman capital city. Named after him, the city has been extensively studied through its rich textual sources and surviving architectural remnants, yet its archaeological exploration remains relatively less known compared to other renowned urban centers of the ancient and medieval worlds.

Constantinople: Archaeology of a Byzantine Megapolis is a comprehensive archaeological examination of a pivotal era in the evolution of this historic city. It employs a wealth of material evidence, alongside contemporary advancements in urban archaeology and archaeological theory, to delve into over a thousand years of the city's development. Shifting away from the traditional scholarly focus on the monumental core or city defenses, the volume investigates the inter-mural area between the 5th-century land walls and the Constantinian city wall, a zone that encompasses half of the walled area but has received limited archaeological attention. By utilizing data from various sources, including the Istanbul Rescue Archaeology Project, established to document material at risk of destruction, the analysis presents a novel model of Byzantine Constantinople. A diverse range of themes are explored, encompassing social, economic, and cognitive development, Byzantine perceptions of the city, the consequences of imperial ideology, and the transformative impact of self-organization resulting from numerous minor decisions.

Constantinople offers a fresh perspective on the transformation of an ancient Roman capital into an Orthodox Christian holy city, holding immense significance for archaeologists and historians alike.

Weight: 812g
Dimension: 210 x 296 x 14 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781789258066