Description
Book SynopsisFrom its foundation in the fourth century to its fall to the Ottoman Turks in the fifteenth, the city of Constantinople boasted a collection of antiquities unrivaled by any city of the medieval world. This book reconstructs the collection drawing on medieval literary sources, graphic, and archaeological material.
Trade Review'Sarah Bassett's study of the reuse of ancient sculpture in early Constantinople offers a unique approach to the creation of a civic identity in the Late Antique period, and an important reassessment of the foundation of the Byzantine capital.' Cornucopia
'This is an informative and highly readable work whose title conceals its relevance to a far broader readership than specialists in late antiquity … an extremely useful volume which should appeal to a wide range of readers, both because of the nature of its contents and because of the highly accessible style in which she writes throughout.' Classics Ireland
'… this volume is a valuable contribution to the field of late antique studies, tackling important but neglected historical questions, demonstrating a mastery of difficult sources, and offering an imaginative and thought-provoking thesis. It is certain to become the starting-point for all future studies of Constantinople's early urban development.' Journal of Hellenic Studies
Table of ContentsList of illustrations; Periodicals: abbreviations; Primary sources; Abbreviations; Preface; Introduction; 1. The shape of the city; 2. Creating the collection; 3. The Constantinian collections; 4. Theodosian Constantinople; 5. The Lausos collection; 6. Justinian and antiquity; The catalogue; Notes; Select bibliography; Index.
