Column of Constantine

On your right you’ve got yet another Roman relic: the Column of Constantine. It’s the last one still standing, but know that it was once part of a massive Roman forum, built right next to the Wall of Severus; this forum was to become the very hub of the new capital. This was no ordinary column. It marked the center of the forum and celebrated the founding of Constantinople. It was erected in 328 and dedicated in 330, to commemorate the relocation of the empire’s capital to this “new Rome” and Constantine’s victory over Licinius in 324. Originally, a statue of Constantine stood on top, in honor of the one and only emperor of the entire empire. But in the 11th century, a storm knocked the emperor off his perch! He was replaced with a cross, but the Ottomans took that down when they conquered Constantinople. Then, in the 18th century, a fire further damaged the column. The sultan at the time reinforced it with the metal rings you see, but over time, it lost its importance as relic in the eyes of the locals, who now call it the Burnt Column.