Constantinople

The mystery of what happened to the ancient column of Justinian in Constantinople, also known as the Colossus of Justinian, still puzzles historians and archaeologists. The colossal bronze statue of the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I was built during Justinian's rule...

Istanbul is a name that the Greeks actually gave to the city. "Istanbul" derives from the Greek phrase "Is tin poli," meaning "into the city."

Built as Byzantium around 657 BC and then renamed Constantinople in the 4th century CE after Constantine the Great made the city his capital, the city of Istanbul officially received its present name on this day in 1930. Surprisingly, the...

The position of women in Byzantine society is not easy to assess considering the vast reach of the empire. It was an empire comprised of different cultures of Eastern Europe, Asia Minor, West Asia, and North Africa. In the course...

The Greek world has a troubled past of sports riots, particularly with football hooliganism, but this pervasive history goes back further than one might expect, with one instance nearly leading to the destruction of Constantinople and the overthrow of...

A pair of 1,500-year-old lady's sandals with a sweet message in Greek was discovered during a dig in Istanbul. The sandals have become one of the major attractions of the city's archaeological museum. There is a message in Greek on...

Throughout history, many Greek scholars became the unsung heroes of the Renaissance, the period that linked ancient wisdom with a new modern era of scientific knowledge. The Renaissance emerged in European history as an opportunity of enlightenment, shining a new...

The contribution of the Byzantine Empire to Western Civilization was of great importance as it preserved ancient Greek knowledge in philosophy and science

Like the Anglo-Saxons consider Friday the 13th a bad luck day, Greeks have branded Tuesday the 13th as a day you'd rather stay home and avoid everything that might cause an accident. The main reason Tuesday the 13th is not...

As the wealthy capital of the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire, Constantinople was a tempting target for many rulers during late antiquity and the Medieval period. For this reason, it was essential to encircle the city with a ring of...