080124 VO Byzantium - Constantinople - Istanbul: Urban and Monumental Development of the New Rome (2025S)

The city of Constantinople, capital of the Byzantine Empire, was for over a millennium a landmark for the Mediterranean and Europe, not only politically but also artistically. Its significance persisted beyond the end of the Middle Ages, and the newly established capital of the Ottoman Empire assimilated the forms and urban landscape of the Byzantine city, thereby perpetuating the myth of the "new Rome" suspended between East and West.
The course aims to a profound understanding of the city as an exceptional case study in the long run, beyond the conventional chronological boundaries of the Middle Ages. We will first examine the features of the ancient city, from the foundation of the Greek colony of Byzantion to the Roman era. The Byzantine period (330-1453) will be explored from an urban-monumental point of view, examining its development in detail in a diachronic perspective, also taking into account what is no longer preserved. Elements of continuity and discontinuity in the "Polis" par excellence in the aftermath of its Ottoman conquest will be eventually considered.
Utilizing different types of sources (archaeological and material evidence, written, graphic and photographic records), we will address specific topics such as building and decoration techniques, the strategies of re-use, the circulation of craftsmen and models, as well as the reception of the latter "beyond Byzantium".