The Antiquities of Constantinople: With a Description of Its Situation, the Conveniencies of Its Port, Its Publick Buildings, the Statuary, Sculpture, Architecture, and Other Curiosities of That CityGilles, Pierre
History
The Antiquities of Constantinople: With a Description of Its Situation, the Conveniencies of Its Port, Its Publick Buildings, the Statuary, Sculpture, Architecture, and Other Curiosities of That City
Gilles, Pierre
Istanbul (Turkey) -- Antiquities; Istanbul (Turkey) -- Description and travel; Turkey -- Antiquities
The Author _of the Description of the Wards_ relates, that the
fourteenth _Ward_, though it is looked upon as a Part of the City,
yet because it is divided from the other _Wards_ by an intermediate
Space of Land, and enclosed with its own Walls, makes the Figure of a
small City by it self; and adds, among other Particularities, that the
Entrance of it, at the Gate, is somewhat upon the Level; but the right
Side of it, rising into an Ascent, almost to the Middle of the broad
Way, falls into a deep Ascent, and contains a Church, the Palace, _&c._
It is very probable, one would think, or at least it looks to be so,
that any one who had never seen _Constantinople_, could learn from this
Description in what Part of the City stood the fourteenth _Ward_. But
since, nothing of the antient Buildings are remaining there at present,
no not so much as the Bridge, or the very Channel of the River; there
is some Room for Enquiry, where was the Place of its Situation. For
I am entirely ignorant of the Gate whence its Entrance begins, which
is somewhat upon the Level. It is possible that I might also discover
the Situation of it, if I knew where the right Side of the _Ward_ was,
which rose into an Ascent. ’Tis plain that this _Ward_ did not stand
on the fifth Hill from hence, that the Author tells us, that it was
divided from other _Wards_ by some intermediate Space. Had this _Ward_
been divided from other _Wards_ by a small Tract of Land only, it had
been very injudicious in the Inhabitants to have enclosed it with a
Wall by it self, when it stood so near the Walls of the City. I would
observe farther, that ’tis inconceivable that there could be any Bridge
on the fifth, sixth, or seventh Hills of the City, or without the Walls
of the City; nor is there any Valley running between the fifth or the
third Hill, where there’s any Bridge, or any Water, unless it can be
imagined that it had any small Creek, which is now filled up, with
a Bridge over it. If it could be supposed that there formerly stood
any Bridge beyond the sixth Hill, in the Street called _Avasarius_,
we could conclude it to be no other than what was built over the Bay
of _Ceras_, near which are still seen the Piles of a Bridge. And in
all Probability the sixth Hill was wholly inhabited, by Reason of the
Nearness and Goodness of its Roads from _Thrace_. This is the more
probable, if it be considered, that the Suburbs called the _Hepdomum_,
were seated on the sixth Hill, which excited _Theodosius_ the _Less_,
by Reason of its Nearness to _Constantinople_ to enlarge the Walls of
the City.
CHAP. IV.
_Of the_ Hepdomum, _a Part of the Suburbs; of the_ Triclinium _of_
Magnaura; _of the_ Cyclobion; _of the Statue of_ Mauritius, _and his
Armory; and of the Place called the_ Cynegium.
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