Serpent Column

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Olcay Özfırat

Level 29 Local Expert

Serpent Column is an Ancient Greek monument made of bronze depicting three entwined python snakes, remaining from the Hippodrome in Sultanahmet Square. Today, two of the snake heads from this column are missing, and the third is exhibited in the Istanbul Archaeological Museums. The Serpent Column was first built in Delphi in 478 BC in the name of the god Apollo. The Serpent Column is one of the oldest large-scale monuments that have survived from the Classical period of Istanbul. The monument, which commemorates the victory of the Greek city states united against the Persian army in 479 BC, was first erected in the temple of Apollo in Delphi. It was later brought to Istanbul by Emperor Constantine in 324. It was a part of the "three-legged cauldron" presented to the god Apollo at Delphi with the spoils obtained by the Greeks after their victory against the Persians in Platea. The names of the 31 Greek city-states that participated in the war were written on the column shaped like three intertwined snake bodies. It is thought that the Serpent Column was brought to Istanbul when the capital was being established. (Istanbul's Tenth Island Submerged in the Sea by the 1010 Earthquake: Vordonisi) Before the pillar was damaged, it depicted three snakes tightly entwined with each other. The heads of these three snakes carried a golden cauldron and formed the trivet of the cauldron. The trivet was later melted down by the Phocaeans to cover war expenses. In the original version of the column, the names of the Greek city-states that participated in the war were also engraved on the spirals of the column. But these have worn away over time and are no longer visible. According to the ancient writer Herodotus, this column was built with Persian war spoils. According to the ancient writer Herodotus, this column was built with Persian war spoils. In the 4th century AD, the column was moved to Constantinople (Istanbul) by Emperor Constantine and started to be exhibited by erecting it in the middle of the Hippodrome, where it still stands today. Also, according to a rumor, it was believed to have magical powers to protect the city against insects and reptiles. Disappearing snake heads In the 18th century, two of the three snake heads broke off and disappeared. The third was found during the Hagia Sophia excavations in 1848 and is currently exhibited in the Istanbul Archaeological Museums. Serpent Column; It last appeared with three snake heads in an engraving by European traveler A. De la Motraye dated 1699. The Serpent Column, which also found a place in Ottoman miniatures, was known for its eight-meter height until the 17th century. Silahdar Mehmed Ağa, the palace historian in the Ottoman Empire, said that on October 21, 1700, during the evening prayer time, a sound like a tree was breaking was heard and the three snake heads on the column were found fallen to the ground, it was impossible for a person to break them and no one was seen around. One of the snake heads of the Serpent Column in Sultanahmet Square. Archaeologist Ord. Prof. Dr. Arif Müfid Mansel makes the following evaluation: “In our opinion, deep cracks and holes occurred as a result of the penetration of bronze rust into the structure of the column in the upper parts of the column, where the weather affected the most, mostly in the snake necks and the points where they meet the body, and continuous rains and large temperature changes caused these cracks to grow and, in fact, quite heavy It caused the large heads and thick necks to separate from their bodies and once the balance was disturbed, they all fell to the ground.”

Надежда Гмызо

Level 28 Local Expert

Moving away from the ruins of the walls of the ancient hippodrome, it is worth seeing this wonderful column - unfortunately only partially preserved, but no less significant. She used to be in the very center of the racetrack. And it is from this point that you can assess the scale of the building that surrounded it. It's a great feeling!!!

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Pavel Sindrevich

Level 30 Local Expert

The historical component here is much more interesting than the product itself. In ancient times, the Hellenes cast a bronze column from the shields and guns of the Persians they defeated. According to Herodotus, it was an eight-meter column of three intertwined snakes with a golden sacrificial bowl on top, installed in the temple of Apollo at Delphi. Constantine the Great transported her to Constantinople, but without the chalice. It is not known for certain where the bowl went. The fate of the snake heads is not so depressing: one of them is in the Istanbul Archaeological Museum, the second ended up in London, in the British Museum. The third head from the monument is probably anonymously decorating someone's collection somewhere. How the column was "decapitated" is also not known for certain. According to legend, the column had magical powers and protected the city from the invasion of various fauna. But when the "Conqueror Sultan" Fatih conquered the city, he cut off one of the heads with his sword. They say that her magic power has been gone from the column ever since.

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Александр Владимиров

Level 30 Local Expert

On the square there are two obelisks (Constantine and Theodosius), between which there is a small column - it is not even always visible from afar. All three objects are interesting, but let's focus on the column. It is called a snake because it used to be crowned with three snake heads, on which a golden tripod was located. In general, the column was the base of a sacrificial tripod, and it was created back in the 5th century BC by melting captured Persian weapons. Then Constantine transported the column to Constantinople, which he founded. And then, as often happens, the tripod was lost first, then the heads were lost. Most likely, they lost their heads back in 1700 - two were found, one was not. Like the other two monuments, there is a fairly large cultural layer here (and even then, it probably happens more). It's always interesting to think that "people lived here too," though not a meter deep -) An interesting monument, which is especially interesting to consider in the context of the other two. If you are near Sofia or the Blue Mosque, take a look at the square where the obelisks rise; there is something to see there.

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Катерина Ковалёва

Level 14 Local Expert

This monument, made in the form of a tripod altar, was created in honor of the victory of the Greeks over the Persians in the Battle of Plataea, which took place in 479 BC . Istanbul residents believed that the heads of snakes possessed magical properties and protected the city. After their loss, a series of natural disasters followed.

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Максим

Level 30 Local Expert

It is a pity that the serpentine column has only been slightly preserved. I think when she was whole, she was very beautiful. The Serpentine Column is an 8—meter-high ancient Greek bronze column, installed in the 4th century AD on the back of the Constantinople hippodrome. A preserved part of the sacrificial tripod of the temple at Delphi, cast from the weapons of the Persians who died in the Battle of Plataea during the Greco-Persian wars.

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Владимир В

Level 11 Local Expert

The column was the base of the altar in the form of three intertwined snakes. A fragment of one snake's head is kept in the Archaeological Museum of Istanbul (see photo). It is believed that the column was cast from captured Persian weapons captured during the Persian wars. It has always seemed that this is something from legends and myths, but here, please, is their material embodiment.

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Константин

Level 20 Local Expert

An interesting object, especially from a historical point of view.

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Александра Яковенко

Level 30 Local Expert

A column brought from Delphi. This is where the Oracle was

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Рашид Хайруллин

Level 18 Local Expert

It is located on Sultanahmet Square.

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Юрий Kuzmin_seo

Level 30 Local Expert

The memory of centuries. You can see it nearby

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Milkyway

Level 30 Local Expert

Very interesting👍🏻

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Pallmira

Level 26 Local Expert

Without prior study of the topic or without a guide...a column is like a column) Be sure to study the history beforehand), of course, this applies to all attractions.

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Илья Шайкевич

Level 30 Local Expert

Come here in the evening, it's very beautiful.

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Ulianny

Level 9 Local Expert

Great column!

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Наталья Лихачева

Level 28 Local Expert

It's great that at least something remains of Constantinople. remnants of former greatness . Previously, it was believed that these columns protect the city from the invasion of snakes .

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Турист

Level 30 Local Expert

I don't know.... somehow it so happened that her description on the Internet made a greater impression than she did. Or the neighboring columns were eclipsed by their height... but we need to look at it... I found my photos and decided to add them

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Serpent Column

17 reviews