Posted By Samuel Phineas Upham
Four years before the armies of Constantine the Great would pass through the territory known today as Istanbul, the city was inaugurated and named “Constantinople.”
The city was modeled after Rome and so was built atop seven hills. The city proper was called Constantinople, but the surrounding area was still known as the Byzantine Empire. Between the occupation of the Greeks and the Romans, the city was reinventing itself as a cultural hub for arts and architecture.
Perhaps this Mecca of ancient art was what attracted Constantine the Great to the locale, and ultimately may have played a role in his decision to move the capital of Rome. He also brought many embellishments with him on his journey to the city, like the Egyptian Obelisk still on view today in the Hippodrome.
The city also got a face lift with new walls, aqueducts and extensive defenses to repel oncoming attackers. Attacks on the city were commonplace from both the inside and out. A fire during the sixth century burned much of the city to the ground.
Until the eighth century, Constantinople was a center for culture and arts as well. During the puritanical movement known as iconoclasm, the city was stripped of its religious mosaics and paintings.
About the Author: Samuel Phineas Upham is an investor at a family office/ hedgefund, where he focuses on special situation illiquid investing. Before this position, Phin Upham was working at Morgan Stanley in the Media and Telecom group. You may contact Phin on his Samuel Phineas Upham website or Twitter.