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40-612: The word hippodrome comes from the Greek hippos ( ἵππος ), horse , and dromos (δρόμος), path or way. For this reason, it is sometimes also called 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 , Roman , and Byzantine eras. Although the Hippodrome

80-465: A lower level, were the stalls for the horses and chariots. At both ends of the hippodrome were posts (Greek termata ) that the chariots turned around. This was the most dangerous part of the track and the Greeks put an altar to Taraxippus (disturber of horses) there to show the spot where many chariots wrecked. It was built on the slope of a hill if possible and the ground taken from one side served to form

120-518: A palace for himself. The palace was located between the Hippodrome and Hagia Sophia . The complex of palaces was rebuilt and expanded several times during its history. Much of the complex was destroyed during the Nika riots of 532 and was rebuilt lavishly by the emperor Justinian I . Further extensions and alterations were commissioned by Justinian II and Basil I . However, it had fallen into disrepair by

160-508: Is depicted in relief carvings on its base. The stands were capable of holding 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 through a passage which only the emperor or other members of the imperial family could use. The hippodrome

200-444: Is derived from the ancient Greek hippodromos ( Greek : ἱππόδρομος ), a stadium for horse racing and chariot racing . The name is derived from the Greek words hippos (ἵππος; "horse") and dromos (δρόμος; "course"). The ancient Roman version, the circus , was similar to the Greek hippodrome. One end of the ancient Greek hippodromos was semicircular, and the other end square with an extensive portico , in front of which, at

240-489: Is possible that much more of the Hippodrome's remains still lie beneath the parkland of Sultanahmet. The Hippodrome was depicted on the reverse of the Turkish 500 lira banknotes of 1953–1976. Hippodrome Hippodrome is a term sometimes used for public entertainment venues of various types. A modern example is the Hippodrome which opened in London in 1900 "combining circus, hippodrome, and stage performances". It

280-586: Is situated, behind the Hippodrome and the Hagia Sophia . The palace is considered by scholars to have been a series of pavilions, much like the Ottoman -era Topkapı Palace that succeeded it. The total surface area of the Great Palace exceeded 200,000 square feet (19,000 m ). It stood on a steeply sloping hillside that descends nearly 33 metres (108 ft) from the Hippodrome to the shoreline, which necessitated

320-480: 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 walls , endowing it with a hippodrome, an arena for chariot races and other entertainment. In AD 324,

360-705: The Byzantine Senate : The Blues (Venetoi), the 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

400-591: 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 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

440-537: The Great Palace Mosaic Museum . Excavations are continuing elsewhere, but so far, less than one quarter of the total area covered by the palace has been excavated; total excavation is not presently feasible as most of the palace currently lies underneath the Sultan Ahmed Mosque and other Ottoman-era buildings. The palace was located in the southeastern corner of the peninsula where Constantinople

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480-767: The Palace of Daphne , in early Byzantine times the main imperial residence. It included the Octagon, the emperor's bedchamber. From the Daphne, a passage led directly to the imperial box ( kathisma ) in the Hippodrome . The main throne room was the Chrysotriklinos , built by Justin II , and expanded and renovated by Basil I , with the palatine chapel of the Theotokos of the Pharos nearby. To its north lay

520-522: 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. In the 10th century the Emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitus built another obelisk at

560-537: 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 ) 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

600-460: The "Trullo hall" hosted Third Council of Constantinople , recognized as the ecumenical council by both Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches and Quinisext Council or "Council in Trullo". Consequently, when the city was retaken by the forces of Michael VIII Palaiologos in 1261, the Great Palace was in disrepair. The Palaiologos emperors largely abandoned it, ruling from Blachernae and using

640-625: The Byzantine Empire survived until 1453, by that time, the Hippodrome had fallen into ruin, pillaged by the Venetians who likely took the four horses now in San Marco from a monument there. 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

680-583: 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

720-582: The Palace of Manganae between 1921 and 1923. A much larger excavation was carried out by the University of St Andrews in 1935 to 1938. Further excavations took place under the directorship of David Talbot Rice from 1952 to 1954, which uncovered a section of one of the south-western buildings at the Arasta Bazaar. The archaeologists discovered a spectacular series of wall and floor mosaics which have been conserved in

760-635: The Senate house or Palace of Magnaura , where the University was later housed, and to the west the Milion (the mile marker, from which all distances were measured), and the old Baths of Zeuxippus . Immediately behind the Chalke Gate, facing southwards, were the barracks of the palace guards, the Scholae Palatinae . After the barracks stood the reception hall of the 19 Accubita ("Nineteen Couches"), followed by

800-639: The Serpent Column, cast to celebrate the 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 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

840-563: The Triconchos palace, built by the emperor Theophilos and accessible through a semicircular antechamber known as the Sigma. To the east of the Triconchos lay the lavishly decorated Nea Ekklesia ("New Church"), built by Basil I , with five gilded domes. The church survived until after the Ottoman conquest. It was used as a gunpowder magazine and exploded when it was struck by lightning in 1490. Between

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880-550: The church and the sea walls lay the polo field of the Tzykanisterion . Further to the south, detached from the main complex lay the seaside palace of Bucoleon . It was built by Theophilos, incorporating parts of the sea walls, and used extensively until the 13th century, especially during the Latin Empire (1204–1261) whose Catholic emperors from Western Europe favoured the seaside palace. A seaward gate gave direct access to

920-514: The city between them. The most severe of these was the Nika riots of 532, in which an estimated 30,000 people were killed and many important buildings were destroyed, such as the nearby second Hagia Sophia , the Byzantine cathedral . The current (third) Hagia Sophia was built by Justinian I following the Nika riots. Constantinople never recovered from its sack during the Fourth Crusade and even though

960-547: The column were destroyed in 1700. 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". Another emperor to adorn the Hippodrome was 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

1000-600: The construction of large substructures and vaults. The palace complex occupied six distinct terraces descending to the shore. The main entrance to the palace quarter was the Chalke (Bronze) gate at the Augustaion . The Augustaion was located on the south side of the Hagia Sophia, and it was there that the city's main street, the Mese ("Middle Street"), began. To the east of the square lay

1040-552: The early years of the Ottoman era . The area was initially turned into housing with a number of small mosques before Sultan Ahmet I demolished the remnants of the Daphne and Kathisma Palaces to build the Sultan Ahmed Mosque and its adjoining buildings. The site of the Great Palace began to be investigated in the late 19th century and an early 20th-century fire uncovered a section of the Great Palace. On this site prison cells, many large rooms, and possibly tombs were found. Initial excavations were carried out by French archaeologists at

1080-485: The embankment on the other side. Other structures called hippodromes: Similar modern structures: Great Palace of Constantinople The Great Palace of Constantinople ( Greek : Μέγα Παλάτιον , Méga Palátion ; Latin : Palatium Magnum ), also known as the Sacred Palace ( Greek : Ἱερὸν Παλάτιον , Hieròn Palátion ; Latin : Sacrum Palatium ), was the large imperial Byzantine palace complex located in

1120-647: 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. A portion of the substructures of

1160-615: 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. The stone core of this monument also survives, known as the Walled Obelisk . 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

1200-585: 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 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

1240-399: The purple hangings and rare tapestries. According to Hesychius of Miletus , there was once a statue of Hecate at the site. 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

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1280-518: 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 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

1320-403: The sack of Constantinople by the Fourth Crusade , the palace was plundered by the soldiers of Boniface of Montferrat . Although the subsequent Latin emperors continued to use the palace complex, they lacked money for its maintenance. The last Latin emperor, Baldwin II , went as far as removing the lead roofs of the palace and selling them. One of the biggest halls of the Great Palace known as

1360-565: The south-eastern end of the peninsula today making up the Fatih district of Istanbul (formerly Constantinople ), in modern Turkey . It served as the main imperial residence of the Eastern Roman emperors until 1081 and was the centre of imperial administration for over 690 years. Only a few remnants and fragments of its foundations have survived into the present day. When Constantine I refounded Byzantium as Constantinople in 330, he planned out

1400-403: The time of Constantine VII , who ordered its renovation. From the early 11th century onwards Emperors favoured the Palace of Blachernae as an imperial residence, though they continued to use the Great Palace as the primary administrative and ceremonial centre of the city. It declined substantially during the following century when parts of the complex were demolished or filled with rubble. During

1440-484: The two parties which were called "Greens" and "Blues". None of these statues have survived. The bases of two of them have survived and are displayed in the Istanbul Archaeological Museum. 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 2 m (6.6 ft) below

1480-469: The vaults as a prison. When Mehmed II entered the city in 1453, he found the palace ruined and abandoned. As he wandered its empty halls and pavilions, he allegedly whispered a quote from the Persian poet Saadi : The spider is curtain-bearer in the palace of Chosroes , The owl sounds the relief in the castle of Afrasiyab . Much of the palace was demolished in the general rebuilding of Constantinople in

1520-462: Was about 450 m (1,476 ft) long and 130 m (427 ft) 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. The spina (the middle barrier of the racecourse) was adorned with various monuments, including the monolithic obelisk, the erection of which

1560-484: 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 , and the 5th-century BC Serpent Column . The carceres had four statues of horses in gilded copper on top, now called the Horses of Saint Mark . The horses' exact Greek or Roman ancestry has never been determined. They were looted during

1600-401: Was never actually built over. The hippodrome was used as a source of building stone, however. 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

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