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Full-Text Articles in Medieval History
The Column Of Constantine At Constantinople: A Cultural History (330-1453 C.E.), Carey Thompson Wells
The Column Of Constantine At Constantinople: A Cultural History (330-1453 C.E.), Carey Thompson Wells
Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects
This thesis discusses the cultural history of the Column of Constantine at Constantinople, exploring its changing function and meaning from Late Antiquity to the end of the Byzantine era. Originally erected as a pagan triumphal column in celebration of Constantine’s re-foundation of Byzantium as Constantinople in 330 C.E., this monument was soon reinterpreted within a Christian context and acquired its own relic tradition, most significantly relics from Christ’s Passion. In addition, as the centuries passed, this relic tradition increased to include objects significant not only to Biblical history but also Constantinopolitan history. Because of this, in the middle Byzantine period, …