Built on the city's Second Hill to commemmorate the glorious ascendance of Constantine the Great to the Roman throne, the Forum of Constantine, and the Column of Constantine at its center, also symbolized the birth of a new city from the ashes of another.
On May 11, 330, the city called Byzantium was no more, and Constantine - or Constantinopolis, "City of Constantinople" - was christened. Originally crowned by a statue of the god Apollo, the column has weathered many hardships and numerous renovations over the centuries.
By the time of the Ottomans, both the column and the original forum had shrunk considerably. But both remain a treasured part of the city's history and character.