The Hippodrome of Constantinople. Part 1 - An Introduction

Hello everyone, I'm Robin Pearson and I'm here to show you what remains of the Hippodrome of Constantinople. Today's video is an introduction to the Hippodrome, its place and purpose in Byzantine life, and a guide to what has survived. Constantinople's Hippodrome is most famous for being an arena for Roman chariot racing. And while that was its primary function, it also served a vital role in the political theatre of the state. The palace was built adjoining the racetrack so that the imperial family could safely enter and exit the kathizma, the royal box. From here they could interact with the crowds, showing off new family members, receiving acclamations or complaints from the people, and being seen as generous sponsors of the races. The arena was also used to celebrate military victories, humiliate fallen enemies and execute criminals. This was the stage on which the people were asked to bear witness to the power and authority of their imperial masters. Although a racetrack seems to have been in place already, it was the Emperor Constantine that created the Hippodrome we think of today, one that could seat tens of thousands of spectators. At the centre of the track was the spina, the dividing line around which the chariots would race. The decoration of the spina was key to the Hippodrome's imperial significance. Back in Rome, the spina of the Circus Maximus became a very important location for religious and civic display. Significant pagan monuments and markers were fixed to the divider, followed by large trophies commemorating military victories, all adding to the sense that the arena was a place where imperial order was reinforced. Most prominent amongst the monuments in Rome was an Egyptian obelisk, brought there by Augustus in 10 BC to celebrate his conquest of Egypt. To establish Constantinople's credentials as the New Rome, the Hippodrome was closely modelled on the Circus Maximus, including a spina of its own, replete with the best and most significant statuary that the Emperor could find. Today the arena itself is largely gone, but three of these amazing monuments have remained in place. The Hippodrome was the centre of public life in Constantinople for nearly 900 years. Its destruction began in 1204, when the Fourth Crusade sacked the city. Western troops took all the metal statues from the arena, either carrying them home or melting them down to make coins. The chariot races ceased to be held, although the track would continue to be used for events and entertainments. By the time of the Ottoman conquest in 1453, the Hippodrome was in a state of disrepair, and over the next couple of centuries the walls and seating were mined for building supplies. Despite losing its surrounding structures, the arena floor continued to be used as an important public space. Festivals, state ceremonies and executions all took place here, as well as games and horse riding. Eventually it was turned into a public park and has become one of the iconic locations of modern Turkey. The remains of the Hippodrome lie in Sultan Ahmet Square. The park has preserved most of the space which the arena occupied, and the rough outline of the racetrack can be traced along the outside path. As you can see, I visited during Ramadan, when much of this space was occupied by market stalls and seating for the evening meals. Almost nothing remains of the walls and decoration, though small fragments can be found here and there. One piece of the marble seating could, until recently, be seen in the gardens of the neighbouring Blue Mosque, though when I was there the area was largely covered for renovations. I hope we will be able to see it when the work is complete. To the north of the park you can just about see the Ahir Sofia in the distance, or at least its minarets, and the German Fountain, a gift from Kaiser Wilhelm II, marks roughly where the karseres, the starting gates for the chariot races, would have stood. Turning around from there, you can see the three monuments from the Spina which have remained in place for over a thousand years. That's it for our introduction. Across the next four videos I'll explore what remains today in detail. Click on the link below to start the next video where we examine the Theodosian Obelisk. If you'd like more detailed information on the monuments of the Hippodrome, then visit thebyzantinelegacy.com. It's a fantastic website providing breakdowns of the Byzantine buildings that can still be seen today. And there you'll find most of the still images and sketches used in these videos. If you'd like more information about the chariot races themselves, or the famous Nica Riots, then check out these episodes of the History of Byzantium podcast.