ARTH 3270 - [Constantinople/Istanbul, 330-1566]

(crosslisted) ARKEO 3370, CLASS 3770, MEDVL 3270, NES 3270, RELST 3270, VISST 3270
(GHB) (HA-AS)

Next offered 2018-2019. 4 credits. Student option grading.

B. Anderson.

Ancient Byzantion, rebuilt and renamed by the Roman emperor Constantine the Great, raised by his successors to be the capital of a “Byzantine” empire, object of desire for travelers and crusaders, crowning conquest of the Ottoman sultan Mehmet: the city on the Bosporus stands at the center of the late antique, medieval, and early modern Mediterranean. We will consider its urban development from ancient polis to modern metropolis, its marvels of religious architecture from the Hagia Sophia to the Süleymaniye, the splendor of its residences from the Great Palace of the Byzantine Emperors to the Topkapı Sarayı, and the daily life of its humbler residents from the games of the Hippodrome to the taverns and brothels.