It make me sad that so much history was lost. Just imagine the wonders that would have been available if the Crusaders wouldn't have sacked the city so brutally in 1204. The city was a sorry remnant by the time of the Ottoman sack in 1453.
The Serpentine Column (Τρικάρηνος Ὄφις) has one of the longest literary histories of any object surviving from Greek antiquity. It is part of an ancient Greek sacrificial tripod, originally placed at the sanctuary of Delphi and relocated to Constantinople by Constantine the Great in 324 AD. It was built to commemorate a significant Greek military victory who fought and defeated the Persian Empire at the Battle of Plataea (479 BC). The bronze column consisting of three intertwined snakes, was intended to commemorate the 31 Greek City-states that participated in the battle. A golden tripod topped the column, made by Persian weapons, and the whole monument was dedicated to god Apollo and was placed next to his altar at Delphi. After the monumental battles of Thermopylae and Salamis, the Greek victories at Plataea and contemporaneous naval battle at Mycale brought the invasion of Greece to an end. The Persian Empire would never again launch an attack on mainland Greece.
It is worth noting that the serpent column might well be the oldest man made object on Earth… with a complete pedigree - in that we know the who, why, what , where, how, etc. of its construction. It has also been on almost constant public view since it was made. I think Edward Gibbon has Mehmet II breaking one of the serpent heads off using a mace.
Just today the new Anthony Kalldelis' book "The New Roman Empire" has arrived to me, and 2 hours ago while reading I had to check what is the mentioned serpent column. Funny that this video was released an hour earlier. Could have ust watched it haha
It make me sad that so much history was lost. Just imagine the wonders that would have been available if the Crusaders wouldn't have sacked the city so brutally in 1204.
The city was a sorry remnant by the time of the Ottoman sack in 1453.
Ottoman conquest
According to Herodotus the metal used to make The Serpent Column, came from the smelting of Persian weapons and booty.
The Serpentine Column (Τρικάρηνος Ὄφις) has one of the longest literary histories of any object surviving from Greek antiquity.
It is part of an ancient Greek sacrificial tripod, originally placed at the sanctuary of Delphi and relocated to Constantinople by Constantine the Great in 324 AD.
It was built to commemorate a significant Greek military victory who fought and defeated the Persian Empire at the Battle of Plataea (479 BC). The bronze column consisting of three intertwined snakes, was intended to commemorate the 31 Greek City-states that participated in the battle. A golden tripod topped the column, made by Persian weapons, and the whole monument was dedicated to god Apollo and was placed next to his altar at Delphi.
After the monumental battles of Thermopylae and Salamis, the Greek victories at Plataea and contemporaneous naval battle at Mycale brought the invasion of Greece to an end. The Persian Empire would never again launch an attack on mainland Greece.
It is worth noting that the serpent column might well be the oldest man made object on Earth… with a complete pedigree - in that we know the who, why, what , where, how, etc. of its construction. It has also been on almost constant public view since it was made. I think Edward Gibbon has Mehmet II breaking one of the serpent heads off using a mace.
Two of the heads are at the archaeological museum of İstanbul. I dont know where the third one is
So sad. The most beautiful and holiest city!! Out beautiful most wonderful city Constantinople...the most wonderful empire!
Just today the new Anthony Kalldelis' book "The New Roman Empire" has arrived to me, and 2 hours ago while reading I had to check what is the mentioned serpent column. Funny that this video was released an hour earlier. Could have ust watched it haha