Constantinopolis: A study of the city of Constantinople as the artifice of Constantine the Great`s Imperial Project

Abstract

ABSTRACT CONSTANTINOPOLIS: A STUDY ON THE CITY OF CONSTANTINOPLE AS THE ARTIFICE OF CONSTANTINE THE GREAT'S IMPERIAL PROJECT Erkal, Namık Günay M-A.in Department of Architectural History Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Suna Güven May 1995, 245 pages Constantinople-Istanbul is a historical multi-layered city. One of its successive stages is its foundation by Constantine the Great between 324-330 as the new capital of the Roman Empire. In this study the foundation of Constantinople is examined as an imperial urban project. In order to understand the `now invisible` Constantinian city it is necessary to separate and analyse the multi-dimensional aspects of its artificial creation: the site, the urban theory, the planner and his aims. The resultant became a suitable setting for the imperial synthesis of the Christianity and the antique pagan culture. What combines those aspects in the body of the city, and also in the structure of the thesis, is the theme of `unity` achieved by the Roman imperial classicism. Keywords: Sole Emperor, Imperial Project, Late Antiquity, Early Christianity, Conversion, Absolutism, Roman Imperial Classicism, Unity, Architecture of the City. Science Code: 601.01.03. in

ABSTRACT CONSTANTINOPOLIS: A STUDY ON THE CITY OF CONSTANTINOPLE AS THE ARTIFICE OF CONSTANTINE THE GREAT'S IMPERIAL PROJECT Erkal, Namık Günay M-A.in Department of Architectural History Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Suna Güven May 1995, 245 pages Constantinople-Istanbul is a historical multi-layered city. One of its successive stages is its foundation by Constantine the Great between 324-330 as the new capital of the Roman Empire. In this study the foundation of Constantinople is examined as an imperial urban project. In order to understand the `now invisible` Constantinian city it is necessary to separate and analyse the multi-dimensional aspects of its artificial creation: the site, the urban theory, the planner and his aims. The resultant became a suitable setting for the imperial synthesis of the Christianity and the antique pagan culture. What combines those aspects in the body of the city, and also in the structure of the thesis, is the theme of `unity` achieved by the Roman imperial classicism. Keywords: Sole Emperor, Imperial Project, Late Antiquity, Early Christianity, Conversion, Absolutism, Roman Imperial Classicism, Unity, Architecture of the City. Science Code: 601.01.03. in