UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA Los Angeles Christianizing the Skyline: The Appropriation of the Pagan Honorary Column in Early Constantinople A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in Architecture by Pelin Yoncacı Arslan 2015 © Copyright by Pelin Yoncacı Arslan 2015 ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION Christianizing the Skyline: The Appropriation of the Pagan Honorary Column in Early Constantinople by Pelin Yoncacı Arslan Doctor of Philosophy in Architecture University of California, Los Angeles, 2015 Professor Diane G. Favro, Chair The freestanding column with culminating statue is generally viewed as a relatively limited genre in Roman art and architecture. The purpose of such a column varies between glorifying a victory and honoring an individual for his or her achievements. While the best-known examples were created in Rome during the Empire, such columns were common in early Byzantine Constantinople as well. This dissertation examines four such monuments: the Columns of Constantine, Theodosius I, Arcadius, and Justinian. These towering monuments were erected in imperial fora along the Mese, the main ceremonial thoroughfare passing across the city of Constantinople. The first part of the dissertation focuses on the art historical and material aspects of column monuments and illustrates the formal and urbanistic innovations applied in Constantinople. Comparison to other column monuments and monuments alike, both in the western and eastern Roman world, situates these built objects within their cultural contexts. The ii second part of the study addresses the visibility of the columns in the ritual and daily experience, focusing on secular and religious urban processions held along the branches of the Mese. The analysis unfolds a transition process as the columns were transformed from pagan architectural elements to Christian urban monuments: the evolution from the simple and abstract porphyry Column of Constantine; to the hybrid, re-framed, cross-signed Columns of Theodosius and Arcadius embellished with spiral bas reliefs, and ultimately to the richly- decorated, intentionally Christianized Column of Justinian . Hence, the concluding sections explores the Christianization of the area ‘up in the air’ by presenting a hypothetical skyline where each honorary column under investigation constitutes a significant marker in a choreographed sequence. Although the beginning of this process is commonly assigned to the sixth-century adoption of the Virgin Mary as Constantinople’s protector, this study attempts to show that the conversion of the honorific column began earlier. The kinetic, sequential experience of colossal columns and their related fora offers the potential to reembody and enrich our understanding of the shift from the religiously-ambiguous foundation phase in the fourth century to an overtly Christian capital in the sixth century. iii The dissertation of Pelin Yoncacı Arslan is approved. Dana Cuff Sharon Elizabeth Gerstel Diane G. Favro, Committee Chair University of California, Los Angeles 2015 iv To the memory of my grandmother & To my baby girl, Ela v TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION ii TABLE OF CONTENTS vi LIST OF MAPS AND TABLES viii LIST OF FIGURES ix ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS xvii VITA xix INTRODUCTION 1 CHAPTER 1 Approaching Constantinople 1.1 The urban development from the Constantine to Justinian 10 1.2 “Old” Rome versus Constantinopolis, Nova Roma 19 1.3 The state of the field 25 1.4 A proposal for the early Byzantine skyline 35 CHAPTER 2 Precedents: From Greek kingdoms to the Tetrarchy 2.1 The Greek freestanding column 43 2.2 Early Roman freestanding columns 49 2.3 Second-century column monuments 57 2.4 Column monuments outside Rome 74 2.5 The Fünfsäulendenkmal and column monuments in the Roman Forum 82 2.6 Comparisons and comments 88 2.7 The Tetrarchic turn in the column monument – an evolving meaning 95 CHAPTER3 Constantinopolitan columns and the emerging “columnscape” 3.1 The Column of Constantine 104 3.2 The Column of Theodosius 117 3.3 The Column of Arcadius 126 3.4 The Column of Justinian the Great 138 vi 3.5 “Non-colossal” column monuments of Constantinople 144 3.5.1 The Columns of Eudoxia and Theodosius II 144 3.5.2 The Column of Marcian 147 3.5.3 The Column of Goths 148 3.5.4 The Column of Leo I 150 3.5.5. Columns of the Justinianic Dynasty 153 3.6 Column monuments outside Constantinople (fourth to sixth century) 154 3.6.1 The Column of Julian the Apostate in Ancyra 154 3.6.2 The column monuments in Ephesus 156 3.6.3 The Column of Phocas in Rome 158 3.7 The “New” freestanding column 160 CHAPTER 4 Colossal columns and the ritualization of the city 4.1 Urban processions in Constantinople 172 4.2 The Mese as a ceremonial venue 179 4.3 The dedication ceremony and the Column of Constantine 195 4.4 The Theodosian Mese and the converted colossal columns 212 4.4.1 Imperial processions 217 4.4.2 Religious processions 220 4.5 Retracing the Mese and the Christian Column of Justinian 228 CONCLUSION Christianization, the colossal column, and the urban skyline 240 MAPS 259 TABLES 263 FIGURES 265 BIBLIOGRAPHY 340 vii LIST OF MAPS AND TABLES Maps Map 1 The city of Constantine 259 Map 2 The city of Theodosian dynasty 260 Map 3 The city of Justinian the Great 261 Map 4 The Mese and the street layout in the sixth century 262 Tables Table 1 Comparative image of honorary columns, all drawn to the same scale 263 Table 2 Comparative image of honorary columns of Rome and Constantinople 264 viii LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. 1 Giovanni Francesco Bordini, De rebus praeclaris gestis a Sixto V (1588) 265 Figure 1. 2 The Peutinger Map, showing Constantinople, Antioch and Rome 265 Figure 1. 3 The Column of Constantine (Cemberlitas), Istanbul 266 Figure 1. 4 Map of Constantinople 267 Figure 1. 5 The Obelisk of Theodosius and the ‘Built’ Obelisk 268 Figure 1. 6 Ivory diptych with personification of Rome and Constantinople 268 Figure 1. 7 The diagram showing ‘the seven hills’ of Rome and Constantinople 269 Figure 1. 8 The diagram showing imperial fora of Rome and Constantinople 269 Figure 1. 9 Reconstructions of the Forum of Theodosius redrawn in the same scale 269 Figure 1. 10 Modern day panorama of Istanbul’s historical peninsula 270 Figure 1. 11 An aerial view from the digital model of the Mese 270 Figure 2. 1 Apulian Red-Figure Amphora, British Museum F331 271 Figure 2. 2 The sphinx atop the Naxier column, Delphi Archeological Museum 271 Figure 2. 3 The column monument of Ptolemy II and Arsinoe II 271 Figure 2. 4 Plan of the sanctuary of Apollo, Delphi 272 Figure 2. 5 Column monuments from the Sanctuary of Apollo at Delphi 272 Figure 2. 6 Early Roman columns represented on coins 273 Figure 2. 7 The Column of Jupiter, Mainz, Germany 273 Figure 2. 8 The reconstruction of the Upper Agora in Sagalassos 274 Figure 2. 9 The honorific columns in the Upper Agora of Sagalassos 274 ix Figure 2. 10 The plan of Roman Antioch 274 Figure 2. 11 The Zeus sanctuary in Jerash and the oval plaza in front of the complex 275 Figure 2. 12 Image of the oval plaza and the re-erected column in the center 275 Figure 2. 13 Landscape scene from the Black Room in the villa at Boscotrecase 275 Figure 2. 14 A Roman stucco relief showing a column-tower combination 276 Figure 2. 15 The Yellow Frieze from House of Livia, Rome 276 Figure 2. 16 Wall painting showing honorary columns in the harbor of Stabiae 276 Figure 2. 17 The Column of Trajan, Rome 277 Figure 2. 18 The imperial fora, Rome 278 Figure 2. 19 The "windows" of the Column of Trajan 278 Figure 2. 20 Section of the Forum of Trajan 278 Figure 2. 21 The eye-level view from the south entrance of the Forum of Trajan 279 Figure 2. 22 The eye-level view of the Column of Trajan 279 Figure 2. 23 The eye-level view of the Column of Trajan looking from north 279 Figure 2. 24 The eye-level view of the Column of Trajan looking from northern portico 280 Figure 2. 25 The base of the Column of Antoninus Pius 280 Figure 2. 26 Coin of Minucius C. Augurinus 281 Figure 2. 27 Plan of the Campus Martius 281 Figure 2. 28 The Column of Marcus Aurelius, Rome 282 Figure 2. 29 The Madaba Map 282 Figure 2. 30 The Column of Diocletian, Alexandria 283 x Figure 2. 31 The site plan of Serapeum 284 Figure 2. 32 The Sepphoris mosaic 285 Figure 2. 33 The plan of the temple of Ammon in Luxor after Roman modifications 285 Figure 2. 34 The adlocutio scene from Arch of Constantine 286 Figure 2. 35 Decennalia base, the inscription 286 Figure 2. 36 Decennalia base, the procession of four emperors/senators 286 Figure 2. 37 Decennalia base, suovetaurilia scene 287 Figure 2. 38 Decennalia base, libation scene 287 Figure 2. 39 Digital reconstruction of the Augustan Rostra 287 Figure 2. 40 Digital reconstruction of the Eastern Rostra 288 Figure 2. 41 The seven column monument in the Roman Forum 288 Figure 2. 42 The Venice Tetrarchs 289 Figure 2. 43 The representation of Tetrarchs in the Temple of Luxor, Ammon 289 Figure 3. 1 The Column of Constantine, Freshfield Album (1574) 290 Figure 3. 2 The relief of the Column of Constantine by Melchior Lorichs (1561) 290 Figure 3. 3 An Ottoman festival in the Forum of Constantine 291 Figure 3. 4 The Column of Constantine in Koprulu Water Distribution Map (1672) 291 Figure 3.