the mese main street of constantinople
TRANSCRIPT
Bergstein 1
DavidBergstein
ByzantineArt
ProfessorRicci
TheMese:MainStreetofConstantinople
THECENTEROFTHECITY
Imaginethemainstreetofyourowntown,thecenterofyourhomecity.Thereare
shopsandrestaurants,marketsandamusementcenters,bustlingactivityandthe
crowdsofpeople.Justlikemodernurbancenters,ByzantineConstantinoplehada
mainstreet,knownasthemese.Infact,thewordmesemeansliterally“middleroad,”
indicatingthecentralityofthis
street(Kazhdan).Cuttingthrough
virtuallytheentirecity,themese
wasthemainavenueoftraffic
runningthroughoralongside
almosteverymajormonumentand
gatheringspaceofcivicimportance.
Andjustlikethemainstreetsof
today,themesewasmorethanjusta
road–itwasalsothecenterofeconomicandsocialactivity,surroundedby
porticoes,orcolonnadedshoppingcenters.Anexaminationofthismonument
Image1TheMeseofConstantinople www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Constantinople
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providesbothagreaterunderstandingofdailylifeinByzantium,aswellasamore
unified,comprehensivepictureofthecityofConstantinople.
URBANGEOGRAPHYANDHISTORY
Approximately25meterswide,themesebeganattheMilionStone,locatedinthe
AugusteonSquareoutsideofthepresentdayHagiaSophia,andextendedwestpast
theedgesoftheHippodrome,thePalacesofLausosandAntiochus,throughthe
ForumofConstantineandtheForumofTheodosius.Shortlyafterpassingthrough
theConstantinianCapitoliumtheroadbifurcated,withonebranchrunning
northwestandendingattheGateofPolyandriattheTheodosianWalls,andthe
other(moreimportant)routeheadingsouthwest,passingthroughtheForumsof
BovisandArcadiusbeforeendingattheceremonialGoldenGate,whereitjoinedthe
ViaEgnatia,themainroadoftheRomanEmpire(Kuban35.)
Someearlyformofthemeseprobablyexistedinthepre‐ConstantinopleRoman
settlementestablishedbySeptimusSeverusasanextensionoftheViaEgnatia.The
ViaEgnatiawasthemainroadoftheEasternRomanEmpire,whichwoundthrough
GreeceandtheneventuallyconnectedtothethensmallsettlementofByzantium.
However,themeseofConstantinoplecanbedatedtothefoundingofthecityitselfin
330A.D(Kuban72).
Inadditiontoitscentrality,runningvirtuallyalongthe“spine”ofthecitythrough
almosteverymajormonumentandpublicspace,theimportanceofthemesecan
alsobeseeninrelationtootherlesserroadnetworksofthecity.Relyingon
excavationscompletedinthe1930sbyvonGerkanandOlofDalman,Albrecht
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Borgerwasalsoabletoestablishthecomparativecentralityandimportanceofthe
mesebystudyingtheroadlayoutof
Constantinople(Berger162).The
threeother“majorroads”identified
byBerger,“appeartoradiatefroma
singlepoint”formingamoreorless
rectangularpatternofurban
pathways(Berger165).Incontrast,
the“onlymajorstreetthatdoesnot
fit…isthemainstreet,”whichcut
throughthestreetpatternata
rectangularangle(Berger165).
Thus,similartothelargemodern
thoroughfaresofPennsylvaniaAvenue
inWashingtonD.C.or5thAvenueinNewYorkCity,themesedistinguisheditself
fromlesserstreetsbothinit’ssizeandthroughaconscientiousdisruptionofthe
normaltrafficpattern.
WHATTHEMESELOOKEDLIKE,THEECONOMICANDCULTURALSIGNIFICANCE
Thedefiningfeatureofthemesewasthecolonnadedporticoesthatsurroundedit.
Theseporticoes,whichwereessentiallylargecoveredwalkwaysthatextended
perpendiculartostreetonbothsides,werefilledwithshopsandothercommercial
enterprises,indicatingthatthemeseservedasthecenterofthecity’seconomic
Image2RoadPatternsofConstantinopleBerger,Albrecht.“StreetsandPublicSpacesinConstantinople.”DumbartonOaksPapers,Vol.54,(2000).DumbartonOaks,TrusteesforHarvardUniversity.
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activity.Inadditionto“providinganumberofurbanamenities,these[porticoes]
createdavisuallyrichurbanatmosphere,wherethenoiseandbustleofthecrowds
musthaveresembledourownmodernshopping
malls”(Kurban44).TheMakrosEmbolos(another
streetthatrannorthfromthemese)connecteda
sectionofthemesetotheharborsandtrading
centersoftheGoldenHorn,furtheraddingtothe
commercialsignificanceofthestreet(Khazdan).
Finally,themajorforumsandgatheringspaces
bisectedbythemesewouldhaveinevitably
containedbusinessactivities,marketareasand
othereconomicenterprises.Itisnotclearwhether
theseforumswerealsoasourceofcommercial
competition,divertingactivityfromthemese,or
whethertheyweremerelycomplimentary.Inalllikelihood,theprimarypurposeof
theforawasasagatheringspacefordemonstrations,hangings,andothersocial
events,complimentedbytheminorcommercialactivitiesthatinevitablyaccompany
largegroupsofpeople,whilethemeseitselfremainedtheprimaryeconomicspace.
Theporticoedstreetwasitselfnotanewinvention.Asimilarcolonnadedroad,
namedthe“GreatColonade”wasdiscoveredinthecityofPalmyra,inpresent‐day
Syria,anddatestothe3rdor2ndmillennium(Baranski4).Asimilarancientroad,
flankedbycolonnadeswasfoundintheancientSyriantownofApamea,datingfrom
thesametimeperiod(BaltyPlateX).
Image3PorticoedRoadofSt.PetersSquareAngelikaStern.RoyaltyFree,Gettyhttp://www.gettyimages.com/detail/88657137
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Inadditiontotheeconomicactivity,themesewasalsothesocialarteryof
Constantinople.Connectingvirtuallyeverymajormonument,publicspace,bath,
market,monasteryandchurch,themesecentralizedandorderedthesocialand
culturallifeofthecity’sinhabitants.Incomparisontothesprawlingmetropolisof
today’sIstanbul,itiseasytoimaginethatdailylifefortheaverageByzantinecitizen
wasclusteredaroundthisavenue.Itwasundoubtedlyaplacetoseeandbeseen,the
placewherenewswasdeliveredandtransmitted,anddefinedwhichspacesand
areasweredeemedculturalsuperiorandrelevant.
THEIMPERIALSYMBOLISM
Inadditiontoitseconomicandculturalimportance,themesewasalsoatoolto
conveyimperialpower.Thephysicalelementofthissymbolismwasthe
continuationoftheViaEgnatia(themainroadoftheEmpire),demonstratingthe
connectionbetweenConstantinopleandthelargerByzantineorRomanEmpire.By
connectingtheViaEgnatiatothemese,Byzantineemperorsexpressedtheshiftin
ImperialPowerfromRometoConstantinople,aswellasphysicallytyingthecity
intothegeographyoftheempire.
However,moresignificantthanthiswasthetriumphalprocessiondownthemese
undertakenbyByzantineEmperorswhoachievedmilitaryvictories.AstheEmperor
marchedfromtheGoldenGatetotheSacredPalace,allthewhiledisplayingthe
victoriesandspoilsoftheirlatestconquests,thecommonersofthecitywere
apparentlyexpectedtopackthemselvesalongsidethemeseinordertowitnessthe
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ostentatiousdisplayofImperialpower.Inthisway,themeseitselfwasturnedintoa
tooltoglorifythepoweroftheEmperor(Mango174).
Sadly,muchofthearchitectureofByzantiumhasbeenlosttoustoday,as
ConstantinoplebecameIstanbul,andasIstanbulbecameamoderncity.However,a
largesectionofthemesesurvivesundertheOttomannameDivanYolu,meaning
literallycourtroad.BywalkingalongtheDivanYolu(ortakingtheZeytiburnu
KabataTram),moderndayvisitorstothecitycanliterallywalkinthefootstepsof
theinhabitantsofConstantinople.StartingattheMillionStoneandheading
westward,theDivanYolufaithfullyfollowsthemese’spathuntilitreachesBeyazit
Square,andprovidesaenjoyable(andhistorical)methodforvisitorstoexplorethe
ancientcity.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. AlexanderKazhdan"Mese"TheOxfordDictionaryofByzantium.Ed.AlexanderP.Kazhdan.©1991,2005byOxfordUniversityPress,Inc..TheOxfordDictionaryofByzantium:(e‐referenceedition).OxfordUniversityPress.KocUniversity.2December2009http://0‐www.oxford‐byzantium.com.libunix.ku.edu.tr:80/entry?entry=t174.e3483.
a. AbasicexplanationoftheMese,itsfunction,geographyandsignificance.
2. Hennessy,Cecily,"TopographyofConstantinople."TheOxfordHandbookofByzantineStudies.Ed.ElizabethJeffreys,JohnHaldon,RobertCormack.Pp.202–216.
a. HowtheMeseconnectedtootherbuildingsinthecityofConstantinople,thegeographyoftheMese,ceremonialpurposes.
3. DoganKuban,“ElementsoftheUrbanPhysiognomy,”Istanbul,AnUrbanHistory:Byzantion,Constantinopolis,Istanbul(Istanbul:EconomicandSocialHistoryFoundationofTurkey,1996),Pp.72–90.
a. HistoryoftheMeseandtherelationshiptotheViaEgnatia,commercialelementsofthecity,descriptiveimaginationoftheimportanceoftheMese.
4. Berger,Albrecht.“StreetsandPublicSpacesinConstantinople.”Dumbarton
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OaksPapers,Vol.54,(2000),pp.161–172.DumbartonOaks,TrusteesforHarvardUniversity.http://www.jstor.org/stable/1291837.
a. EmpiricalattemptedreconstructionofthepublicspacesandroadstructureoftheCityofConstantiopleandByzantium,extensivediscussionoftheMeseinrelationshiptostandardroadstructureofthecity.
5. Mango,Cyril.“TheTriumphalWayofConstantinopleandtheGoldenGate.”DumbartonOaksPapers,Vol.54(2000),pp.173–188.DumbartonOaks,TrusteesforHarvardUniversity.http://www.jstor.org/stable/1291838
a. TheTriumphalCelebrationofreturningByzantineEmperors,theMese’sroleinthisceremony,variationsontheceremony’sroadmapdependingontimeandcircumstancetoincorporateornotincorporatecertaingatesandroads.
6. Baranski,Marek.“Re‐DiscoveryofPalmyra.”UnitedNationsEducational,ScientificandCulturalOrganization.PaperpresentedattheInternationalCongressonWorldHeritageSites.September2001.http://www.unesco.org/archi2000/pdf/baranski.pdf
7. Balty,JeanCh.“ApameaintheSecondandThirdCenturiesA.D.”TheJournalofRomanStudies.Vol.78,(1988),pp.91–104.http://www.jstor.org/stable/301452