Beigstein 1

Baviu Beigstein
Byzantine Ait
Piofessoi Ricci
The !"#": Nain Stieet of Constantinople
!"# %#&!#' () !"# %*!+
Imagine the main stieet of youi own town, the centei of youi home city. Theie aie
shops anu iestauiants, maikets anu amusement centeis, bustling activity anu the
ciowus of people. }ust like mouein uiban centeis, Byzantine Constantinople hau a
main stieet, known as the $"#". In fact, the woiu $"#" means liteially "miuule ioau,"
inuicating the centiality of this
stieet (Kazhuan). Cutting thiough
viitually the entiie city, the $"#"
was the main avenue of tiaffic
iunning thiough oi alongsiue
almost eveiy majoi monument anu
gatheiing space of civic impoitance.
Anu just like the main stieets of
touay, the $"#" was moie than just a
ioau - it was also the centei of economic anu social activity, suiiounueu by
poiticoes, oi colonnaueu shopping centeis. An examination of this monument
!"#$% ' ()% *%+% ,- .,/+0#/01/,23%
4445/%44,637%/8983,2%71#5,6$: %/069:.,/+0#/01/,23%
Beigstein 2
pioviues both a gieatei unueistanuing of uaily life in Byzantium, as well as a moie
unifieu, compiehensive pictuie of the city of Constantinople.
,'-.& /#(/'.0"+ .&1 "*2!('+
Appioximately 2S meteis wiue, the $"#" began at the Nilion Stone, locateu in the
Augusteon Squaie outsiue of the piesent uay Bagia Sophia, anu extenueu west past
the euges of the Bippouiome, the Palaces of Lausos anu Antiochus, thiough the
Foium of Constantine anu the Foium of Theouosius. Shoitly aftei passing thiough
the Constantinian Capitolium the ioau bifuicateu, with one bianch iunning
noithwest anu enuing at the uate of Polyanuii at the Theouosian Walls, anu the
othei (moie impoitant) ioute heauing southwest, passing thiough the Foiums of
Bovis anu Aicauius befoie enuing at the ceiemonial uoluen uate, wheie it joineu the
&'( )*+(,'(, the main ioau of the Roman Empiie (Kuban SS.)
Some eaily foim of the $"#" piobably existeu in the pie-Constantinople Roman
settlement establisheu by Septimus Seveius as an extension of the &'( )*+(,'(. The
&'( )*+(,'( was the main ioau of the Eastein Roman Empiie, which wounu thiough
uieece anu then eventually connecteu to the then small settlement of Byzantium.
Bowevei, the $"#" of Constantinople can be uateu to the founuing of the city itself in
SSu A.B (Kuban 72).
In auuition to its centiality, iunning viitually along the "spine" of the city thiough
almost eveiy majoi monument anu public space, the impoitance of the $"#" can
also be seen in ielation to othei lessei ioau netwoiks of the city. Relying on
excavations completeu in the 19Sus by von ueikan anu 0lof Balman, Albiecht
Beigstein S
Boigei was also able to establish the compaiative centiality anu impoitance of the
$"#" by stuuying the ioau layout of
Constantinople (Beigei 162). The
thiee othei "majoi ioaus" iuentifieu
by Beigei, "appeai to iauiate fiom a
single point" foiming a moie oi less
iectangulai pattein of uiban
pathways (Beigei 16S). In contiast,
the "only majoi stieet that uoes not
fit.is the main stieet," which cut
thiough the stieet pattein at a
iectangulai angle (Beigei 16S).
Thus, similai to the laige mouein
thoioughfaies of Pennsylvania Avenue
in Washington B.C. oi S
th
Avenue in New Yoik City, the $"#" uistinguisheu itself
fiom lessei stieets both in it's size anu thiough a conscientious uisiuption of the
noimal tiaffic pattein.
3".! !"# 4#2# 5((6#1 5*6#7 !"# #%(&(4*% .&1 %,5!,'.5 2*/&*)*%.&%#
The uefining featuie of the $"#" was the colonnaueu poiticoes that suiiounueu it.
These poiticoes, which weie essentially laige coveieu walkways that extenueu
peipenuiculai to stieet on both siues, weie filleu with shops anu othei commeicial
enteipiises, inuicating that the $"#" seiveu as the centei of the city's economic
!"#$% ; <,#7 =#00%6/+ ,- .,/+0#/01/,23%
>%6$%6? @3A6%8)05 BC06%%0+ #/7 =DA318 C2#8%+ 1/
.,/+0#/01/,23%5E FD"A#60,/ G#H+ =#2%6+? I,35 JK? L;MMMN5
FD"A#60,/ G#H+? (6D+0%%+ -,6 O#6P#67 Q/1P%6+1095
Beigstein 4
activity. In auuition to "pioviuing a numbei of uiban amenities, these |poiticoesj
cieateu a visually iich uiban atmospheie, wheie the noise anu bustle of the ciowus
must have iesembleu oui own mouein shopping
malls" (Kuiban 44). The !(-./# )$0/1/# (anothei
stieet that ian noith fiom the $"#"2 connecteu a
section of the $"#" to the haibois anu tiauing
centeis of the uoluen Boin, fuithei auuing to the
commeicial significance of the stieet (Khazuan).
Finally, the majoi foiums anu gatheiing spaces
bisecteu by the $"#" woulu have inevitably
containeu business activities, maiket aieas anu
othei economic enteipiises. It is not cleai whethei
these foiums weie also a souice of commeicial
competition, uiveiting activity fiom the $"#", oi
whethei they weie meiely complimentaiy. In all likelihoou, the piimaiy puipose of
the foia was as a gatheiing space foi uemonstiations, hangings, anu othei social
events, complimenteu by the minoi commeicial activities that inevitably accompany
laige gioups of people, while the $"#" itself iemaineu the piimaiy economic space.
The poiticoeu stieet was itself not a new invention. A similai colonnaueu ioau,
nameu the "uieat Colonaue" was uiscoveieu in the city of Palmyia, in piesent-uay
Syiia, anu uates to the S
iu
oi 2
nu
millennium (Baianski 4). A similai ancient ioau,
flankeu by colonnaues was founu in the ancient Syiian town of Apamea, uating fiom
the same time peiiou (Balty Plate X).
!"#$% R =,6018,%7 <,#7 ,- C05 =%0%6+
CSD#6%
@/$%31H# C0%6/5 <,9#309 T6%%? U%009
)002V::4445$%0091"#$%+58,":7%0#13:WW
XJY'RY


Beigstein S
In auuition to the economic activity, the $"#" was also the social aiteiy of
Constantinople. Connecting viitually eveiy majoi monument, public space, bath,
maiket, monasteiy anu chuich, the $"#" centializeu anu oiueieu the social anu
cultuial life of the city's inhabitants. In compaiison to the spiawling metiopolis of
touay's Istanbul, it is easy to imagine that uaily life foi the aveiage Byzantine citizen
was clusteieu aiounu this avenue. It was unuoubteuly a place to see anu be seen, the
place wheie news was ueliveieu anu tiansmitteu, anu uefineu which spaces anu
aieas weie ueemeu cultuial supeiioi anu ielevant.
!"# *40#'*.5 2+4-(5*24
In auuition to its economic anu cultuial impoitance, the $"#" was also a tool to
convey impeiial powei. The physical element of this symbolism was the
continuation of the &'( )*+(,'( (the main ioau of the Empiie), uemonstiating the
connection between Constantinople anu the laigei Byzantine oi Roman Empiie. By
connecting the &'( )*+(,'( to the $"#", Byzantine empeiois expiesseu the shift in
Impeiial Powei fiom Rome to Constantinople, as well as physically tying the city
into the geogiaphy of the empiie.
Bowevei, moie significant than this was the tiiumphal piocession uown the $"#"
unueitaken by Byzantine Empeiois who achieveu militaiy victoiies. As the Empeioi
maicheu fiom the uoluen uate to the Sacieu Palace, all the while uisplaying the
victoiies anu spoils of theii latest conquests, the commoneis of the city weie
appaiently expecteu to pack themselves alongsiue the $"#" in oiuei to witness the
Beigstein 6
ostentatious uisplay of Impeiial powei. In this way, the $"#" itself was tuineu into a
tool to gloiify the powei of the Empeioi (Nango 174).
Sauly, much of the aichitectuie of Byzantium has been lost to us touay, as
Constantinople became Istanbul, anu as Istanbul became a mouein city. Bowevei, a
laige section of the $"#" suivives unuei the 0ttoman name 3'4(+ 5/16, meaning
liteially couit ioau. By walking along the 3'4(+ 5/16 (oi taking the Zeytibuinu
Kabata Tiam), mouein uay visitois to the city can liteially walk in the footsteps of
the inhabitants of Constantinople. Staiting at the Nillion Stone anu heauing
westwaiu, the 3'4(+ 5/16 faithfully follows the $"#"'s path until it ieaches 7"8(9',
:;6(.", anu pioviues a enjoyable (anu histoiical) methou foi visitois to exploie the
ancient city.
BIBLI0uRAPBY
1. Alexanuei Kazhuan "Nese" The 0xfoiu Bictionaiy of Byzantium. Eu.
Alexanuei P. Kazhuan. 1991, 2uuS by 0xfoiu 0niveisity Piess, Inc.. The
0xfoiu Bictionaiy of Byzantium: (e-iefeience euition). 0xfoiu 0niveisity
Piess. Koc 0niveisity. 2 Becembei 2uu9 http:u-www.oxfoiu-
byzantium.com.libunix.ku.euu.ti:8uentiy.entiy=t174.eS48S.
a. A basic explanation of the Nese, its function, geogiaphy anu
significance.
2. Bennessy, Cecily, "Topogiaphy of Constantinople." <=" >?@/.A B(+A0//- /@
789(+,'+" :,6A'"#. Eu. Elizabeth }effieys, }ohn Baluon, Robeit Coimack. Pp.
2u2 - 216.
a. Bow the Nese connecteu to othei builuings in the city of
Constantinople, the geogiaphy of the Nese, ceiemonial puiposes.
S. Bogan Kuban, "Elements of the 0iban Physiognomy," C#,(+061D E+ F.0(+
B'#,/.8G 789(+,'/+D H/+#,(+,'+/I/1'#D C#,(+061 (Istanbul: Economic anu Social
Bistoiy Founuation of Tuikey, 1996), Pp. 72 - 9u.
a. Bistoiy of the Nese anu the ielationship to the via Egnatia,
commeicial elements of the city, uesciiptive imagination of the
impoitance of the Nese.
4. Beigei, Albiecht. "Stieets anu Public Spaces in Constantinople." Bumbaiton
Beigstein 7
0aks Papeis, vol. S4, (2uuu), pp. 161 - 172. Bumbaiton 0aks, Tiustees foi
Baivaiu 0niveisity. http:www.jstoi.oigstable12918S7.
a. Empiiical attempteu ieconstiuction of the public spaces anu ioau
stiuctuie of the City of Constantiople anu Byzantium, extensive
uiscussion of the Nese in ielationship to stanuaiu ioau stiuctuie of
the city.
S. Nango, Cyiil. "The Tiiumphal Way of Constantinople anu the uoluen uate."
Bumbaiton 0aks Papeis, vol. S4 (2uuu), pp. 17S - 188. Bumbaiton 0aks,
Tiustees foi Baivaiu 0niveisity. http:www.jstoi.oigstable12918S8
a. The Tiiumphal Celebiation of ietuining Byzantine Empeiois, the
Nese's iole in this ceiemony, vaiiations on the ceiemony's ioau map
uepenuing on time anu ciicumstance to incoipoiate oi not
incoipoiate ceitain gates anu ioaus.
6. Baianski, Naiek. "Re-Biscoveiy of Palmyia." 0niteu Nations Euucational,
Scientific anu Cultuial 0iganization. Papei piesenteu at the Inteinational
Congiess on Woilu Beiitage Sites. Septembei 2uu1.
http:www.unesco.oigaichi2uuupufbaianski.puf
7. Balty, }ean Ch. "Apamea in the Seconu anu Thiiu Centuiies A.B." The }ouinal
of Roman Stuuies. vol. 78, (1988), pp. 91 - 1u4.
http://www.jstor.org/stable/301452