The Romans loved their triumphal arches and columns. The city of Rome is littered with the symbols of the power of an empire. However, like all empires, they adopt and change to the changing circumstances that they encounter. This means that the art of an empire changes as well.
The Roman emperor Constantine, probably the most transformational emperor since Augustus, moved the capital from Rome to Constantinople in 324 AD. In 330 AD, the capital was officially moved, and the occasion was celebrated with the minting of coins that represent the event. The city offered several advantages compared to the city of Rome. First, it was strategically located between Europe and Asia Minor, two important sections of the empire. In the early days of the Republic, Rome had been in a great position. However, as the republic expanded, Rome no longer represented the center of the empire. Secondly, it was located closer to the imortant frontiers that the empire had to protect. This was one of the best choices for a capital that Constantine could have chosen. It was here that a new Roman Empire would be bulit.
The Eastern Roman Empire thrived throughout the centuries, reaching its first apex during the reign of Justinian.
This emperor is remembered for his reconquests, but he should also be remembered for his architectural achievements. We come to the subject of this post with a focus on the Column of Justinian.
There was a tradition of triumphal columns in the new Christian city. There were aleady columns that were devoted to Constantine and Theodosius. However, the column of Justinian had the bronze statue intact. According to Johnathan Harris’ excellent book on the city, Constantinople, the emperor was depicted sitting on a horse facing the east and hold an orb that surmounted by a cross while his hand was raised as a stern warning to the enemies of the empire.
What does that say about the combination of the secular and sacred in Constantinople? It says that the Roman ethics of emphasizing military achievements was still incredibly important to artists. The Roman Empire was a militaristic state, and this was now being infused with Christian ideology. Unlike the pagan emperors of old, the emperors of the Christian state represented the globe as god’s representative. There was no pretense about what the emperor was supposed to be. It was not the principate of old, this was an empire of an absolute ruler with the slightest veneer of representative government as represented in the Byzantine senate.
Though the column was demolished by the Turks in the 16th century, this structure is highly interesting to me. There is something that really appeals to me about the transition from a pagan state to a Christian one. The Roman mentality, which is based on a might makes right phliosophy if one wants to summarize their belief system. The idea that such an empire would embrace something different makes for a compelling story.
Justinian is an incredible figure in terms of Roman history. He came on the scene when the Western Roman Empire had collapsed to the invading Germanic tribes. The Eastern Empire was all that remained of an empire that once stretched across the entirety of the Mediterranean He was a man of great vision; he wanted to restore the Roman Empire back to its former glory. This column is a testament to those efforts.
The Column of Justinian is just one aspect of how the empire had changed and not changed at all. The Eastern Empire still believed in the military ethos of their ancestors though it had changed to be infused with a Christian ethos. Justinian’s decision to build the column was a clear sign on the enduring importance of imperial power in the Eastern Roman Empire. The image of Justinian holding an orb and a cross shows how the empire had become Christian yet retaining its Roman imperial ideology. It was now the responsibility of the emperor to represent his subjects as a representative of the Christian god. What the Column of Justinian says is that the there is a continuity with the Roman state and its desires to control the lands and seas surrounding it.
Byzantine-Empire.com 