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Volume 103 No. 4
October 1999
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Abstract |
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The Golden Gate in Constantinople: A Triumphal Arch of Theodosius I
Jonathan Bardill
It is generally asserted that the Golden Gate in Constantinople was erected under Theodosius II shortly before 413 as an integral part of the landward fortifications of the city, and that the inscription over the central arch was added when the Gate was decorated following the overthrow of the usurper John in 425. In fact, an examination of the junction between the Gate and the adjoining fortification reveals that the Gate is an earlier structure. Although fifth-century pilaster capitals adorn the doorframes in the west facade of the Gate, they are clearly additions to the original monument and cannot be used to date it. The inscription, on the other hand, is not a later addition but is contemporary with the construction of the Gate some time before 413; it can therefore only commemorate Theodosius I?s defeat of Magnus Maximus in 388. The monument was surmounted by a sculptural ensemble representing Theodosius I celebrating this victory in a chariot drawn by the four elephants given to him in 384 or 387 by Shapur III. Erected between 388 and the triumphal procession of 10 November 391, the Golden Gate was located on the triumphal route that began in the Hebdomon, and it probably marked the position of a proposed line of fortifications. By 413 the monument had been incorporated into the land walls. Perhaps at this time the doorframes were inserted into the portals.
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