Parastaseis syntomai chronikai, translated by Averil Cameron and Judith Herrin.

This text is reproduced with the permission of the authors, of Columbia University and of Brill and Co, the publishers. The full text, translation and commentary were published as:

Constantinople in the early eighth century: the Parastaseis syntomai chronikai Averil Cameron and Judith Herrin, (Brill, Leiden 1984).

1. Note that S. Mocius was originally built by Constantine the Great (324-37), when a large number of pagans lived in that area. And there was a temple of Zeus there, on the site of which <and with whose stones> he built the church. It collapsed in the reign of Constantius (337-61), in his third consulship (342). In the days of Theodosius the Great (i.e. Theodosius I, 379-95) the Arians were expelled from the holy churches and coming to the church of S. Mocius they desired it and asked the emperor for permission to dwell there, which indeed came to pass. So the Arians immediately rebuilt this same church and the church was used by them for divine services for seven years. It collapsed, so we are told, in the seventh year as they were celebrating the liturgy; and in it many Arians were killed. But in the days of the Emperor Justinian (527-65) the same church was rebuilt and stands in our own day. Marcellus the Lector falsely states that the church collapsed in the second year of Conon the Isaurian (i.e. Leo III, AD 718).

2. S. Agathonikos was built in the first place by Anastasius (491-518) and a second time by Justinian the Great (527-65). Seven patriarchs held office in this same church over fifty years, and emperors wear crowns there. For what reason it was altered . . . . . is not known. Our predecessors handed this down to us, however: that there was also a large palace near this church, and that being in a ruined state it was converted by Tiberius (II, 578-82) into the present palace.

3. The sea walls were repaired under Tiberius Apsimar (698-705); before him they had been completely neglected. The western walls, those of the great gates, were restored under Leo the Great and Pious; on that occasion they also held a religious procession and chanted the 'Kyrie eleison' forty times, and the demos of the Greens shouted 'Leo has surpassed Constantine'.

4. At the ground-level gate which has been filled up stood a statue (stoicheion) of a certain pagan, Fidalia. When the statue (stele) was removed, a great wonder was to be seen, namely that the place shook for a long time, so that even the emperor marvelled and sent a procession to the place and only stopped it in this way. S. Sabas (439-532) achieved this by his prayers.

5. In the place called Neolaia stood a statue (stele) of a woman and an altar <with a> small calf; with these too were four horses, shining with gold; and on a <chariot with a> charioteer was a <statue of a female> (stele) holding in her right hand a small figure (stelidion), a running image (agalma). About this, some say that the group (kataskeve) was erected by Constantine (324-37), while <others say> merely the group of horses, while the rest is antique and not made by Constantine. For up to the time of Theodosius the Great (379-95) there was a spectacle (theama) enacted by the citizens in the Hippodrome, when everyone with candles and white chlamydes came in conveying this same statue (stele) alone on a chariot [or a carriage]) up to the Stama from the starting gates. They used to perform this each time that the Birthday of the city was celebrated. And there were represented in statues (zoda) on columns Adam and Eve and Plenty and Famine.

5a. About the harbour of Neorion.

At the harbour called Neorion stood a bronze ox of enormous size. They said that it bellowed like an ox once a year and that on that day on which it bellowed, disasters happened. In the reign of the Emperor Maurice (582-602) it was sunk in this harbour.

5b. About the statues at the Chalke.

The statue (stele) of Maurice and his wife and children at the Chalke stands above the icon (eikon) of Jesus Christ represented as God and man; for they were put up by him. The two statues (stelai) whose hands are outstretched towards each other came from the land of the Athenians; they say they are of philosophers, as Ligurius the pagan says.

5c. After the death of the Emperor Maurice (582-602) there was a disciple of a certain Eutyches named Akatos, who was a deacon of the church of S. Euphemia. When he saw that the followers of Eutyches were defeated, he went to the fort Serapion (this was one of those held by the Persians, called Rhegion). He told Perittios, the commander of the fort, about the vulnerability of the inhabitants of Chalcedon. Perittios immediately mounted his chariot (for this was the equipment of the commanders of Rhegion) and with seventy thousand men he made for the metropolis of Chalcedon. The people, however, learned in advance and fled to Byzantium, taking with them the precious relics of S. Euphemia. It was in revenge that Akatos, because the church had not been given over to Eutyches, led the Persian Perittios against it. It was then that the Sun-god, the so-called Kronos, in gold-niello, which stood in Chalcedon, was seized by the Persians. They actually took it away to Persia.

5d. About the statues in S. Mocius4

In the time of Leo the Isaurian (71 7-4 1), many ancient monuments (thematia) were destroyed, because the man was irrational. At that time the Trizodon, as it is called, was removed. It was in the hollow place below S. Mokios. Up to that time many people used to perform astronomical calculations by it. And tombs of pagans and Arians are buried there, and many other corpses.

6. The fort Panormon was founded by Panormos the pagan, and it has a double wall like iron and bronze welded together. At the north gate of the same fort stood a steep staircase and a statue (stele) of a woman with two heads. Here a spectacle (theama) took place. When a fire gripped the fort and the whole city burnt down together with the walls, that tower of the gate where the statue (stele) stood remained standing. And many times the fire indeed came very near the place but fell back five fathoms from the statue (stele), as if forced back by something preventing it. The statue (stele) was taken by Chosroes, tyrant of Persia (probably Chosroes II, 579-628) and is worshipped in Persia up to the present day, as Paradeisios, a tax-collector who was captured there and escaped, has made plain in the third edition of the chronicle of Hippolytus. [Check this extraordinary story].

7. The place called Smyrnion near the Tetradesion portico has below the ground, in the part ten fathoms to the north, nine statues (stelai), near the church of S. Theodore. Of these statues (stelai), four are of Constantine the Great (324-37) and his wife Fausta, and Hilarion the praepositus and his third son, also named Constantine (sic), whom Herodotus and Hippolytus the chronographers say was beheaded by his father, and for whom his father grieved and wept for forty days, so we are told, neither washing his body nor resting on his bed. He made the statue (stele) of pure silver and coated it with much gold, and the head alone was made of pure gold, inscribed on the forehead 'My son who was wronged'. When he had erected this he prostrated himself in penance and prayed to God for his sins. The remaining five statues (stelai) are of Severus, Harmatius, Zeuxippus, Viglentius the builder of <Ta Viglentiou> and Eleutherius who built the palace at the Senate. All these people were executed by the sword and having been commemorated in statues (stelothenta) by him who had wronged them, they were implored with prayers for forgiveness by the sinner. Both his own children and many of their descendants took over this duty until the time of Valens the Arian (364-78). And the Arians, unable to endure their defeat by Constantine, buried them in the Tetradesion portico mentioned above near <the church of> S. Theodore until the present day.

8. In the Senate there were placed charioteers in their chariots, and they were put at the place of astronomical calculations, where stand the statues (stelai) of Artemis and Aphrodite. This is where Arcadius the archdeacon of S. Irene was beheaded with clubs by the Arians. They say that the statues (stelai) there shook for three days after his death. The chariots were buried beneath the arch in the time of the Emperor Theodosius (presumably Theodosius I, 379-95).

9. It is also said that the twelve baskets spent ten years in the new palace of the Senate. After this they were buried in the vault following the advice of Metrophanes, bishop of Constantinople (306/7-14), to the Emperor Constantine the Great.

10. It is also said by the majority that likenesses (eikones) of Metrophanes and Alexander (314-37) and Paul (337-57) were depicted on boards under Constantine the Great (324-37). They stood in the Forum, near the great statue (stele) on the column on the eastern side. These likenesses (eikones) the Arians, after they had prevailed, delivered up to be burned in the fire in the Koronion Milion, together with the likeness (apeikonisma) of the Mother of God with Jesus Himself who had become an infant in the flesh; so Ancyrianus the historian has most accurately handed down to us in his Decalogue through Anastasius.

[And Anastasius himself says the same].

11. At the Great Church which is now called S. Sophia, 427 statues (stelai) were removed, most of them of pagans. Among the many were ones of Zeus, and of Carus (emperor, AD 282), the ancestor of Diocletian (284-305), and the Zodiac, and the Moon and Aphrodite and the North Star, Arcturus, supported by two Persian statues (stelai) and the South Pole and a priestess of Athena prophesying to Hero the philosopher, in profile. There were only a few (statues) of Christians, about eighty. Out of the many it is worth mentioning a few: Constantine (324-37), Constantius (337-61), Constans (337-50), Galen the quaestor, <Julian Caesar and another Julian, the eparch>, Licinius Augustus (308-24), Valentinian (?I, 364-75) and Theodosius (I, 379-95) and Arcadius [and] his son (395-408), Serapio the governor, and three of Helena the mother of Constantine; one of porphyry and [other] marbles, another with silver inlay on a bronze column and the other of ivory, given by Cypros the rhetor. These statues Justinian (I, 527-65) distributed about the city when he built the Great Church with faith and effort. Those who know the foregoing find a good number of them if they go round the city and look for them.

12. When Manaim the general had mightily defeated the Scythians he was considered worthy of being honoured with a statue (stele) in the so-called Horreum, which some call Modion. There was what is called a measure where now columns and an apse stand, near the house now called the house of Crateros. A bronze measure also stands there, and a granary, and two bronze hands on spikes. As for the Modion, we must not omit the fact that it was put up in the time of Valentinian (364-75). For at that time an official measure was established among the people of Constantinople, and he fixed it at twelve <measures> to the silver coin, for the nomisma was originally struck of silver. Theodoret describes this most clearly. The bronze hands were then set up above it; for when the emperor (i.e. Valentinian) had decreed this <as the> full measure, and had instructed the shippers not to resist, one of the shippers who was selling his corn to the emperor for the corn dole lost his right hand at the foot of the Modion when someone among those present accused him of cheating. As a result the hands were set up for buyers and sellers warning both not to rebel against what had been decreed. So too a statue (stele) of the Emperor Valentinian holding a measure in its right hand was removed to pay tribute by Curius the protector in the <second year> of Justinian, because <though> small, it too was of silver.

13. The likeness (eikon) of Menander the seer of the Cretans came to Constantinople. They placed it on the Artotyrianos hall to be seen, because the statue (stele) was fifteen cubits high and eight cubits broad. It was not cast but of beaten metal, and Marcian (450-57) struck it into coins and put it in the Treasury.

14. Ardaburius, a general in the reign of Leo the Great (457-74), found in the region of Thrace a statue (stele) of Herodian which was very hunchbacked and heavy. In a fit of anger he broke it, and on breaking it he found 133 talents of gold pounds, which he enthusiastically reported to the emperor. But he was killed by him. In his agony he said 'No one debasing gold with lead (i.e. not even a counterfeiter) has received such a punishment as has been dealt to me by this hunchbacked emperor!' And so those who pass by the place, especially philosophers, did not attribute the death of Ardaburius to his previous misdeeds, but thought it was because of his destruction of the statue (stele) of Herodian. This was when Aspar also met his death with him. A statue (stele) of Aspar is preserved up to the present day in the region of the Taurus; it is mounted on a horse . . . . . as can be seen.

15. <In> the Forum on the right part of the eastern side, he received twelve statues (stelai) of porphyry and (other) marbles and twelve sirens, which most people call gilded sea horses. But in our time only seven are to be seen. The emperor in our day moved three of them into the region of S. Mamas, but the other four are preserved in place up to the present day.

16. Note that the cross on which can be read at the intersection 'Hagios' was set up by him who was the patron of the Forum. There too two statues (stelai) are preserved on the right and left of the angels, one of Constantine himself and one of Helena. To the north as you come in and to the east as you go out, a cross inlaid with silver, with circular orbs at the ends of its arms was erected in this place by Constantine the Great, just as he saw <it in the sky>. There gilded statues of his sons and himself can be seen.

17. In the same Forum also stood an awe-inspiring statue (stele) of an elephant, in the area on the left near the great statue (stele). This manifested a strange spectacle (theama). For once there was an earthquake and the elephant fell over and broke one back foot. The soldiers of the Prefect (for the Forum falls under their sphere of duty) shouted to each other and came running up to re-erect it, and found inside the same elephant all the bones of a complete human body, and a small tablet, which had written at the top:

'Not even in death am I separated from the holy maiden Aphrodite'.

The Prefect added this to the public treasury for coins, in addition to the above cases.

18. In the place called the Milion stood a bronze equestrian statue (stele) of Theodosius (3 79-95). When he erected it he donated much grain to the city.

19. The equestrian statues (stelai) in the Peripatos are of the whole family of Gratian (367-83), Theodosius (379-95) and Valentinian (I, 364-75; II, 375-92). Among them, one of the crooked Firmillianus was made for (or 'became') a joke; and it is actually preserved to the present day.

20. Formerly, some people used to call the Xerolophos a spectacle (theama). For in it were sixteen spiral columns, and Artemis, a composite statue (stele) and one of the builder (i.e. of the Xerolophos), Severus (193-211) and a monument (themation) - a tripod. Many sacrifices also took place there at the orders of the same Severus. And there too many prophecies were given in the same place, at which a virgin was also sacrificed, and an astronomical position prevailed for thirty-six years.

21. The so-called Exakionion once held a hare, a hound and a huge Faunus, all three from one piece of iron; and many other sights (theamata) were preserved in this place. These Marcian (450-57) took away and placed in the region of S. Mamas. And there was a large bath, in which many were endangered because they said they had not heard the prophecy.

22. At S. Mamas there once stood a terrifying bridge with about twelve arches and vaults. For a very big river used to pour down at that point, especially, as they said, in the month of February. There too stood a very big bronze dragon, since some said that a dragon lived in that bridge. Accordingly many virgins were sacrificed on it and a great number of sheep and birds and oxen. For a certain Basiliscus, who was one of the descendants of the Caesar Numerian (AD 282), fell in love with the place, built it up and lived there; there too he erected a very large temple to Zeus. But Zeno put an end to these things in the second part of his reign (i.e. 477-91).

23. In the Forum, underneath the great statue (stele), there is a multitude of crosses, bearing the form of the Great Cross. There too <those of> the two thieves who were crucified with Christ are buried in this place until the present day. Also a glass vessel of the myrrh with which Christ was anointed, and a great many other miraculous things are beneath the Forum, <placed there> by Constantine the Great (324-37) and made safe by Theodosius the Great (379-95), which we refrain from mentioning by name at length.

24. Constantine the Great (324-37) took much pleasure in the Great Strategion; so he actually deposited a lot of pagan coins in a pit there. We have not found this in written form, but have heard it from men who have had experience of a written record, that in this Strategion a lot of gold was also buried in a great pit. And I did not disbelieve this when I heard it, because [what] we and our fathers have handed down to us <is> for the most part unwritten, not written, as connoisseurs know. In the Little Strategion large amounts of lead are exchanged - either lead itself or written transactions <in place of> lead; also the composition of gold and silver <is laid down> in inscriptions on marble. We have written this after reading it from inscriptions on marble tablets or after making enquiries of those who have read it.

25. In the Church of S. Menas a great trench was found when the church was being cleaned (or 'cleared'), and a lot of bones of giant men, which the Emperor Anastasius (491-518) saw and marvelled at and deposited them in the Fossa as an extraordinary wonder (thauma).

26. In the church of S. Procopius the martyr at Chelone stood a statue (stele) of a eunuch which had written on the breast 'Let him who disturbs monuments (thematia) be hanged'. The statue (stele) was of Plato the cubicularius, who was burnt in the days of the Emperor Basiliscus (475-77). When his parents asked the emperor that the eunuch Plato be commemorated in a statue as a reminder to those who opposed the emperor, he did not forbid it. In the course of the renovation of the church of the martyr it was removed to the Hippodrome; but the houses of the same eunuch survive until today at Chelone.

27. From the story of Himerius the chartularius, told by Theodore, when he was with him in the Kynegion looking round. We have taken great care to research accurately the things about which you asked and to describe them to your honour, Philokalos.

28. One day we went off to the Kynegion with Himerius the aforementioned honourable chartularius to investigate the statues (eikones) there, and found among them one that was small in height and squat and very heavy. While I was wondering at it and not getting on with my enquiry, Himerius said 'You are right to wonder, for he is the builder of the Kynegion'. When I said 'Maximian was the builder and Aristides the architect', immediately the statue (stele) fell from its height, which was great, and dealt Himerius a great blow and killed him on the spot. I was afraid, for there was no-one else there except for the men who were holding our mules, and they were outside the steps. Terrified of being hurt myself, I dragged him by the right foot to where they throw the convicts and tried to throw him in, but in my terror I let go of the load at the edge of the bank and ran away and sought asylum in the Great Church. When I told the truth about what had happened, I was not believed until I resorted to confirmation by oath, since I was the only one who had seen the event at the time. So the dead man's relations and the friends of the emperor went with me to the place, and before approaching where the man lay fallen, stared in amazement at where the statue lay fallen. A certain John, a philosopher, said 'By divine providence, I find it so in the writings of Demosthenes, that a man of rank would be killed by the statue (zodion)'. And he told this at once to the Emperor Philippicus (711-13) and was commanded to bury the statue (zodion) in that place; which indeed was done, for it was impossible to destroy it. Consider these things truly, Philokalos, and pray that you do not fall into temptation, and take care when you look at old statues (stelai), especially pagan ones.

29. Brief Catalogue of Women, still from Theodore the Lector.

A bronze <statue> of Verina, the wife of Leo the Great (451-74), on a pillar near S. Agathonikos above the steps. Another of her at the Anemodourion, to the south, near S. Barbara. The first, at S. Agathonikos, was erected during the lifetime of her husband; the one beyond S. Barbara after the death of her husband Leo and the flight of her son-in-law Zeno (i.e. after 475), when she crowned her brother Basiliscus (475-77) to the acclamations of the Green faction: 'Long life to Verina the orthodox Helena'. For she was very orthodox.

30. A very small gilt statue (stele) of Euphemia, the <wife> of Justin the Thracian (518-27), on a plinth in the quarter of Olybrius, near S. Euphemia, a church she founded herself.

31. A very large <statue> of Eudoxia, the wife of Arcadius (395-408), and of her daughter Pulcheria and two other daughters, all in silver. Another of the same Eudoxia in bronze on a pillar and one more at the Augusteum, on account of which arose the machinations against Chrysostom.

32. <A statue> of Arcadia, the second wife of Zeno (474-5, 477-91), in the part near the steps known as Topoi, in the neighbourhood of the holy Archangel. Here Zeno gave judgement against the supporters of Basiliscus (475-7) and made the place into a court. Also <one> of his first wife Ariadne with Zeno himself on the imperial gate.

33. On the same Chalke gate, nearby but beyond, <a statue> of the famous Pulcheria, like the one in the Peripatos in front of the palace.

34. Beyond the Chalke at the Milion to the east, <a statue> of Constantine and Helena above the arch. There, too, a cross <and the Tyche> of the city in the middle of the cross.

35. At the same Milion, a gilded <statue> of Sophia, the wife of Justin (II, 565-78), who reigned after Justinian the Great (527-65) and Arabia her daughter and Helena her very beautiful niece.

35a. <Statues> of Arcadius (395-408) and Theodosius his son (II, 408-50), in the neighbourhood of the statue (stele) of Theodosius his father (I, 379-95), both equestrian, when a large amount of corn was distributed, especially to the Green faction, as their people shouted 'The son of Theodosius has surpassed Constantine'.

36. In the Tribunal of the palace <a statue> of Eudocia, the wife of Theodosius (II, 408-50), the grandson of Theodosius (I, 379-95), and <statues> of Marcian (450-57) and Constantine (324-37); here many ceremonial dances of the Blues and Greens took place up to the reign of Heraclius (610-41).

About Spectacles (theamata)

37. Spectacle number one. The gilt statue (agalma) of a man in the golden-roofed Basilica colonnade (where the measure of the Emperor Heraclius (610-41) was set up) - the kneeling one, is of Justinian when he was tyrant of Constantinople for the second time (i.e. 705-11), and next to him is his wife, the sister of Ivouzeros Gliavanos, after the defeat of Tiberius Apsimar (698-705), when Philippicus (?the emperor, 711-13) also was censured in that part of the golden-roofed Basilica. Tervel of Bulgaria and Gliavanos the Khazar took their places there on many occasions, and so large payments of tribute were made here, at the site of the statues (agalmata) of the tyrant and his wife. With these stands a huge elephant; as the exhibitors of animals have assured us, elephants do not come greater in size than this, the big ones being as big as this. This elephant was set up by Severus the son of Carus the pagan as a spectacle (theama), according to tradition. For in the same golden-roofed Basilica they say the elephant lived, an extraordinary spectacle (theama). They said there was an enclosure in front of the area of the seventy-two steps, and there was also a large force of guards there. And they say that in the same place as the elephant lived Carcinelus, a silversmith who used rigged scales. They say he threatened the elephant's keeper because his house was being damaged, and he frequently vowed that he would kill the keeper if he did not keep the animal in check. But the keeper would not consent to control the elephant with reins. The user of rigged scales killed him and offered him to the elephant as fodder, but the animal, being wild, killed him too. And when Severus heard this he offered many sacrifices to the beast, and they were at once commemorated in statues in that place. There too Heracles was worshipped, the recipient of many sacrifices. And <the statue> was removed to the Hippodrome to be a great spectacle (theama). But originally it was brought from Rome to Byzantium in the time of Julian the consularis with a chariot and a boat and twelve statues (stela). This strange tale of the spectacle of Severus took place (?was written), they say, in the consulship of Anthemius; he was the owner of Ta Anthemiou, which was traded by the order of Nouzametos the prefect, the Persian, in place of tribute payment, in the days of Byzas and Antes. And this spectacle (theama) is accessible until the present day for philosophers to test.

38. Spectacle number two. On the Helios at the golden Milion.

At the golden Milion a chariot of Zeus Helios with four fiery horses, driven headlong beside (?) two statues (stelai), has existed since ancient times. There Constantine the Great (324-37) was acclaimed after defeating Azotius and Byzas and Antes, the Blue faction shouting

'you have taken up the whip again,

and as though young again you race madly in the stadium';

but the Green faction said 'We don't need you, miserable wretch; the gods above have taken him'. And the chariot of Helios was brought down into the Hippodrome, and a new little statue (stelidion) of the Tyche of the city was escorted in procession carried by Helios. Escorted by many officials, it came to the Stama and received prizes from the Emperor Constantine, and after being crowned, it went out and was placed in the Senate until the next birthday of the city. But because of the cross engraved on it, it was consigned by Julian to a pit where there were many other spectacles (theamata). And if anyone researches accurately the inscriptions of the Forum, he would be still more amazed.

39. Spectacle number three. About the things in the Forum.

Balsama, a centurion and a great friend of idols (eidola), broke the arch of . . . . . of <the> clock, for research, he said, but, as seemed more likely, to steal it. Having done this, he stole the silver statue (eidolon) of Pallas. The scales of Asclepiodorus, weighing three pounds, and the garland of Cleopatra were found, the latter made all of emerald alabaster. When the Emperor Constantine heard of this he condemned the same centurion Balsama to death. But he showed no shame and called on the gods when he was beheaded at one of the stairs of the Forum, where the first meals of the day were served. Nor let us pass over in silence the impious occurence in the second archway; the image (eidolon) of the adulterer Maxentius received obeisance and worship there, and unrecognised by most of the idolaters (eidolatrais) it was worshipped as a god mounted on a horse. Wherefore Constantine destroyed it and beheaded with the sword those who dared to do this. There too after this Arius met his disgusting death, the wretch who dared to blaspheme worse than the pagans, the miserable creature who wanted to seize the patriarchal throne of Constantinople by imperial aid with procession and honour. But Alexander, great in divine knowledge, did not . . . . . until he brought the man to his horrible death. So in that place about twenty-nine palms distant, from the arch, Arius was represented in the reign of god-loving Theodosius, on a slab of marble close to the ground, and with him Sabellius, Macedonius and Eunomius, an object of disgust to passers-by, to vent on them dung and urine and spittle, and to load with dishonour those who had dishonoured the Son of God. These things can be seen up to the present day by those who wish to examine what we have written with philosophy and effort.

40. Spectacle number four, which is in the (?) buildings of the Bread Market.

A small dog, made out of marble, bearing many teats . . . . . as many as twenty, or lumps, which they sought to worship, was visible for all who wanted to see from every side. And heads of a peacock and an eagle and a lioness and rams, and sparrows and crows and one turtle dove and a weasel and five heifers lowing and two Gorgons, one on the right and one on the left, one looking into the face of the other, carved from marble in relief <and > all mixed up together below the same building or Bread Market, as a spectacle, the work of Constantine. There was also an oxherd above an ox ploughing, as if intending to dig the earth, a great spectacle (theama) for those who saw it. This remained for many years, and the story lasted until the reign of Zeno. But a certain Galen, a doctor and philosopher, as he himself taught from the writings of chronographers, proceeded thither and ascertained that the marble Gorgons - that it, that on the right and that on the left, grasping snakes, with hieroglyphic and astronomical meaning - recorded the stories of the emperors, this having been done by Constantine the Great. And when he applied his attention to their readings, observing what was destined to happen to Zeno by the agency of Verina, he laughed. But a certain Callistratus, vulgar by birth and a pedlar by station, when Galen kept repeating the story of the Gorgons, especially frequently after the second return of Zeno from Isauria (i.e. 477-91) - this same Galen was the subject of a deliberate attack from this Callistratus, and was the recipient of such mocking and blows over the course of a year that finally a court was held in the same building of the Bread Market, among the same sculpted images of animals and birds, and he was beheaded by the sword, the Green faction and the crowd shouting out 'The verdict is just'. Aristides the philosopher gave the following name to the place which can be seen until today: 'The beasts of Galen <and> the injustice . . . to Zeno'. And when he had carved the inscription, he fled to Cherson, and the inscription has been preserved until the present day.

41. Spectacle number five. In the neighbourhood of the Amastrianon.

From Caracallus the praepositus the minor spectacle (themation) or small statue (eidolion), the foremost of the city of Byzantium, dating from the reign of Trajan (98-117), <as> Mekas and Glaukos <relate>, on whose writings Theodore the chronographer depends. In this place Zeus Helios on a chariot inlaid with marble, the staffbearer of Zeus, Aristides, the reclining Heracles, a charioteer of the gods with the inscription 'All-powerful Apollo'. There was the river . . . . , the eagle worshipped by a wolf; in it are tortoises full of birds and among them eighteen sheserpents, Koukobytios the philosopher, a champion of idols (eidola) and sacrificer of his wife and two children, his mother Aglaide and his sister Graphentia. In this place the dominion and fall of demons those of emperors to philosophers, especially if the accursed emperors be fornicators in word or offspring. For this reason let them pay attention to the naked statue (zodion) and cooking the irons herb with a small spoon and roasting with the nostrils, let them . . . . . . at the friends of the emperor. From these it was known to you how things are likely to happen to them. And much silver, especially in denarii, was buried below, and also a treasure of gold. It is said that there was a theatre and that it was possible for many to watch in the daytime and marvel at sacrifices to Zeus. And there was an earthquake, and people died in this arena in the days of Byzas and Antes before Constantine was revealed as a worshipper of God not in this city but at Rome. And the horses and musical instruments of the dux Galindouch - these can be seen in the building of the Artemision until the present day. Wherefore, Philokalos, though we have gone to a lot of trouble for your honour's sake, we do not grudge it.

42. <Spectacle number six.> About the Ox.

We will describe clearly to you the spectacle (theama) at the Ox, which you have frequently asked us in letters to make clear to you, Philokalos. We have discovered that it was built in the Hippodrome <by> Valentinian the praepositus of Constans (337-50). And there is an enormous great furnace, preserved until the present day, where Julian (36 1-3), hated of God, burned many Christians on the pretext of their being criminals. The furnace bore as a spectacle (theama) a huge bronze ox, in imitation of which that at the Neorion harbour was made. An air of disgrace attached to the bronze ox because of the burning, up to the reign of the wicked Phocas (602-10). But after Phocas himself was burnt the ox was melted down by Heraclius (610-41) for the treasury of the guards and went to Pontus for army recruitment (the guardpost was in Pontus). <It was worth> twenty-four measures of silver, because it was cast. And this remains here even up to the present day for people to see, cast into frowning imperial portraits.

43. <Spectacle number> seven. From the Milion a spectacle (theama) of the ? official Dioscorus; from the things to be seen in the reign of the Emperor Maurice.

That the explanation of the name of the so-called Senate of the Forum is none other than that Senatos built the Senate. And the porphyry statue (zodion) there of three stones with three heads, which some said was of Constantine the Great in the middle, Constantius on the left and Constans on the right, with two feet, but six hands - a strange spectacle (theama) for those who saw it, each one looking in a different direction - and one head. But once there was a fire in this place, and while everyone was busy (so to speak) that extraordinary thing was stolen, in the reign of Theodosius II (408-50), the son of Arcadius, who immediately <made> threats through a herald in the suburbs and districts by the sea if the spectacle (theama) were not found. Those who dared to do this were not able to remove it to their own country, but were overtaken by the emperor's boat and did away with themselves; they cast both the spectacle (theama) and themselves into the sea and were drowned. And although many boats and rope-baskets and some divers came because of the anguish of the emperor, and though he offered a multitude of gifts and with fearful oaths promised to give five hundred centenaria to anyone who could rescue it from the sea, no one succeeded in doing so. Then this Theodosius in anger gave over the house of Senatos to the fire (it was supported by four columns). He removed the statue (stele) of Helena, the mother of Constantine, and Constantine and his wife Fausta, the daughter of Diocletian, in the same Senate house. Constantine and his wife were made of cast bronze and partly of stone, but Helena was of porphyry all over. These are preserved up to the present day.

From Papias

44. In the so-called Stater, which is called Molion, was a fox made of Peganousian marble, its length five fathoms and its width two and a half fathoms. In a southerly direction lay the imperial palace, and in a northerly direction the old church. On its chest inlaid in gold and silver letters was written 'Aphrodite Selene'. It was given to the Persians by way of tribute at the time of the Emperor Anastasius (491-518), in place of a thousand pounds of silver.

44a. As this Papias also explained in his writings that the gorgon-like heads on the Chalke gate - which are on the left as the spectator approaches and on the right if he is walking away from it - came from the Ephesian temple of the goddess Artemis. There were <eight>. Four of these are in the area of the Forum Tauri, fixed on the ancient palace of Constantine, where the statues (agalmata) of Julian (36 1-63) and his wife, and also of Constantine the Great (324-37) and his sons and Gallus can be seen. The other four are on the left of the above-mentioned gate. In the same place is also a cross put up in the time of the earlier Justinian (527-65); restored' <statues> (stelai) of Belisarius <and others> were also set up. And on the gate Belisarius himself is to be seen gilded, with a crown of rays; and Tiberius (II, 578-82) the Thracian, with a hunched back, and Justin I (518-27), slender in appearance, and very close to his real likeness; and seven relatives, some in marble and some in bronze, who can be accurately recognised by passersby from their dress.

45. Leo the Great (457-74) greatly honoured the Empress Pulcheria; accordingly he observed the commemoration of her death and on her tomb he represented her image (indalma). And in the imperial palace when he looked on her picture he would deem her whole life blessed? Leo also transferred a statue (stele) of Marcian (450-57) and Pulcheria to the Theodosian porticoes and gave it to the imperial city.

46. Theodosius the Great (379-95) wiped out the coinage of Julian. In addition, when he saw his statue (stele) standing outside the Mint, he turned red and asked his companions whose likeness (charagma) it was. When they replied that it was Julian's, he said at once: I have seen a black man represented in a statue (stele) and I grew very red', and at once he broke it and issued a decree saying that whenever that same man's likeness (hypodeigma) was seen on coins and the Treasury was not notified, he who was responsible should suffer confiscation and be banished from Constantinople.

47. Julian (361-63) was deeply involved in sorcery; thus he fashioned idols (eidola) into the semblance of imperial statues (stelai), it is said, and forced everyone to do obeisance to them as if to images (eikones) of emperors. In addition, he erected the gold-niello image (agalma) of Apollo and the goddess Artemis in the metropolis of Nicomedia and ordered that it should be revered with similar rites, saying that the likenesses (indalmata) were of himself and his wife. And because of this, a huge number were deceived and fell headlong into idolatry.

48. As Julian was passing through Caesarea Philippi, as it is called, in the region of Paneas, he saw the likeness (indalma) of the woman with an issue of blood, and the statue (andrias) of Jesus Himself which they said had been put up by her. In it the woman was bending down and touching the hem of the garment of the statue (andrias) of Jesus with her right hand. In the middle there was growing a kind of plant, an efficacious remedy for any disease and one capable, they say, of curing even those born blind from their mother's womb (so it is recorded with great precision by Eusebius Pamphili and Diakrinomenos). Seeing this, then, Julian asked its meaning (mysterion) and when he heard that the statue (andrias) was of Jesus, he broke it. He did the same with that of Veronica, as Diakrinomenos tells us the woman with the issue of blood was called. And he burned the plant and dedicated an idol (eidolon) of Zeus and Aphrodite on the site, and one of himself. And there too he built a temple and inscribed on it 'To the divine Zeus who sees all. Julian makes this gift to Paneas'. And there the bishop Martyrius, who strongly opposed the emperor, was burned near the temple, they say, as a sacrifice to the gods.

49. While Julian was emperor (361-63), before he came to Rome, they set up a statue (stele) of him at Byzantium at the Constantinian porticoes. The general Demophilus, who rejoiced in the worship of idols (eidola), set it up on a porphyry column <inscribed> . . . 'This is the great godfearing Julian'. For this reason, as soon as he became emperor, he set up images (eikones) to him in Rome and Antioch, in the form of panels (sanides) and large bronze statues (chalkourgemata).

50. Gratian (375-83) came to Rome after his marriage and presented another spectacle (theama) to Rome in the shape of silver statues (stelai) of himself and his wife.

51. There was a wonderful statue (stele) of Valentinian the Younger (III, 424-55) at the porticoes of Leontius, where Zeno used to hold his inspections. When Zeno (474-91) saw the statue (stele) of Valentinian, he said that those Caesars who were not commemorated in statues (eikones) were unfortunate.

32. In the area of the Forum Bovis a great encampment was prepared by Constantine the Great (324-37), and Byzas made war on him, and as Socrates says, twenty thousand pagans died. And at once in the same Forum Bovis a silver gilt cross was set up, and likenesses (eikones) of Constantine and Helena, the hands of both the slaves of God holding the cross, they say.

53. That the so-called Kontaria had a guard for seven years; and in the same place there was a war for two years, and a very small temple of idols (eidola) which they said was of Galen. Constantine pulled it down and built a church of the Theotokos, and portraying himself and his mother and Jesus and the Virgin he held a festival for twelve days.

54. In the area of Ta Viglentiou was the very strong watch-tower of Constantine, which he put up before his vision outside the city; for there, they say, he saw the cross with his own eyes about evening. In this region, they say, the area of Ta Viglentiou, Severus settled the Gazoi and Maximinus, the general of Constantine (sic), fought against them and killed about eight thousand. And then the rest dismounted from their horses and breaking their swords rolled on the ground at the feet of Maximinus and begged for mercy. When they were spared, they set up a statue (stele) to Constantine made out of their own bronze weapons.

55. Constantine was honoured in the Forum for forty days and acclaimed by the factions and by the leaders of the city. But Canonaris the philosopher went up to a high place and when the crowd had fallen silent cried out in a loud voice 'Do not give yourselves airs above your ancestors, you who have destroyed your ancestors'. Constantine summoned him and upbraided him and called upon him to give up his paganism. But he cried out loudly that he chose to die for the sake of his ancestors, and was beheaded in the same portico of Viglentius to inspire fear in the remaining Gazoi.

56. The statue (stele) in the Forum received many solemn hymns. Here the government and the prefect Olbianus, the spatharii, the cubicularii and also the silentiarii, forming an escort with white candles, all dressed in white garments, brought it raised on a carriage from what is now called the Philadelphion but was then called the Proteichisma, in which there was also formerly a gate, built by Carus. But as Diakrinomenos says, it came from the so-called Magnaura. Whereupon it was set up in the Forum and, as has been said above, received many hymns and was revered as the Tyche of the city by all, including the army. And finally it was raised on a pillar in the presence of the priest and the procession, and everyone crying out the 'Kyrie eleison' a hundred times. Diakrinomenos says that many things were placed on top of the pillar where the statue (stele) now stands, among them imperial coinage of Constantine, the so-called sotericius, to the amount of ten thousand pounds. Then the city was acclaimed and called Constantinople, as the priests cried out 'O Lord, set it on a favourable course for boundless ages'. And when they had thus with great pomp celebrated fittingly for forty days, and the emperor had bestowed many gifts of corn on the people, each man went away to his own home. And thus on the next day the birthday of the city took place and a great race in the Hippodrome, and the emperor made many gifts there too, instituting these birthday celebrations as an eternal memorial.

57. In the area near the Taurus Constantine the Great spent some time resting in the summer. There there was the palace and temple of Severus, the son of Carus, called the idol (eidolon) of the divine Severus. And there were four very large composite vaults, themselves built by Severus, containing many idols (eidola) of prophecy for prayers to the immortal gods and of the gods of the underworld, made of silver and bronze and ivory and marble, of many kinds, they say, as were found, they say, in the vaults. And there the war of Constantine and Severus took place, and <he> defeated Herculius and hung up his head and those of his leaders in the vaults for seven days. And after this he broke in pieces the pagan idols (eidola), and left them for display. In this place, up to the time of Julian (361-63), criminals were punished. In the same place in an elevated position was a very broad slab, and it remained, showing in engraved figures (zodiois anageglummenois) the wars of Constantine, up to the third earthquake. A statue (stele) of Constantine was fashioned there up above the vault in the upper part, holding the sign of the cross in the right hand.

58. In the region of the so-called gate of the Philadelphion, Constantine had a dream. There first of all he saw the sign (typos) of the cross, and he set it up, as he saw it, in the same length and breadth, on a four-sided porphyry column. He gilded it and fixed a sign (semeion) of a sponge at the feet (sic) of the cross. He honoured himself and his mother Helena and his sons, setting up <statues> of them on thrones beside the four-sided column. In this place Constantine the Great gave many consular donations. In this place centurions were honoured, being held in honour for the carrying of the cross, seated above the . . . . .

59. Constantine set up many statues (stelai) in the Forum, among which up to thirty were of his own commissioning. The first consul honoured in the Forum was Callistratus; and up to the reign of Constantine the consuls received their codicils of office in the Forum. Callistratus was greatly honoured in the Forum, as he was the first to receive the office of consul, while the Green faction shouted 'Callistratus is lucky and will advance to another <office>. But he was afraid, and sought refuge in the precinct of S. < . . . . . > and entering it he sought sanctuary. Constantine repeatedly swore to Callistratus that he would not harm him, but he was not satisfied and <only> emerged from the church when ordained a presbyter. He actually became a bishop later. About this many accounts have reached me.

60. In the Hippodrome statues (eidola) were set up which came from Rome, as many as sixty, among which was the likeness (homoioma) of Augustus, as is told, though not written down.

61. Philip the eparch confirmed many things for us; that the Thessalian statue (homoioma) in the Hippodrome is the work of a certain Pontios - the one that stands above the imperial box. Among the female statues (homoiomata), that near the epigram of the Medes <is of women> giving birth to wild beasts and they devour men. One <of them>, Herodian made clear to me, reveals the story of the godless Justinian. The other, which is accompanied also by a boat, has not been fulfilled, but remains. When I heard this, I wept to think that such a misfortune should yet again befall Constantinople. In the <area> of the Kathisma, Justinian the Great (I, 527-65) rode . . . on a bronze horse, after the victory over the Medes. The woman seated on a bronze chair in the Hippodrome - she too is above <the imperial seat> as we mentioned before - Herodian told me is Verina, <the wife> of Leo the Great (474-9 1); but as I have myself heard from many people, it is instead the statue (eidolon) of Athena from Hellas, and this I believed.

62. Philip the dynast expounded many things, in the course of which he passed this on: that while the dragon statue (drakontaion) is an erection of Arcadius (393-408), it is a display (epideixis) of his brother Honorius (393-423), reigning in Rome. There not a few oracles have taken place, both before our time and up to the present day. The hyena above the dragon statue (drakontaion) came from Antioch first to Constantinople in the reign of Constantine the Great (324-37), as the aforementioned Philip told.

63. Many murders and evils took place in the Hippodrome, and especially in the <times> before us; among these in our own day too, Anastasius the monk was burned for contradicting the emperor in the cause of truth.

64. When it befell Eudocia the Athenian to be judged, she found good fortune through her beauty. Her brothers thereupon, hearing of the surprising good luck of their sister, took it upon themselves to come up to her with seven philosophers and asked to be relieved of their own misfortune with good fortune. The Emperor Theodosius (II, 408-50) drove into the Hippodrome to satisfy the philosophers. And which of them did not participate? They were seven in number: Kranos, Karos, Pelops, Apelles, Nerva, Silvanus, Kyrvos. These men met the emperor in the Hippodrome to see the Olympians. And the Emperor Theodosius, seeing that the philosophers were amazed, said to them, 'If you are amazed, philosophers, you have been out-philosophized'.

And at once one of them, Apelles by name, replied, and said '<Do not think> I am surprised at the horses < . . . > the rider, for I see clearly that horses will be the riders of men when the Olympians change, and the amazement will then fade away'.

And Nerva replied, '<I see> a bad sign (stoicheion) for the queen <of cities> - the statue (stoicheion) which is like its meaning (stoicheia)'.

And Silvanus, looking at the statue (zodion) towards the south, up on high, leaning on its knee like . . . ' said, 'The artificer (stoicheiosamenos) has done well, for in that day times will be barren.'

Kyrvos, looking at <the statue> of the People, said, 'O People, through whom public executioners are unnecessary'.

Pelops, looking at the starting-gates of the horses, said, 'Who posed the riddle?' And when Theodosius said, 'Constantine', he said, 'Either the philosopher has got it wrong or the emperor did not keep to the truth'. For the philosopher was looking at the female statue (zodion) inscribed with zodiacal inscriptions on all four sides, and he said, 'You of four boundaries, through whom Constantine . . . will come to nought'.

Karos, urged by the philosophers to speak, said, 'All these things are bad in my opinion; I mean, if these statues (stoicheia) tell the truth when they are put to the test, why does Constantinople still stand?'

And Kranos, who was said to be the leader of the Athenian philosophers, smiled and hooted with laughter. When the emperor asked 'Why are you doing that?' < . . . he re>plied 'Enough', more in laughter than mockery. Narcissus, a praepositus, gave the philosopher a slap and said to him, 'You are benighted; answer the sun like the sun he is'. When Kranos turned the other cheek, Narcissus gave him <another slap>. The philosopher said to Narcissus , 'It won't be you who makes me speak; it is because I am disturbed by the inscriptions.' The riddle of Kranos is as follows: he asked the emperor if he could inspect the statues (stoicheia) in the Hippodrome, and at the emperor's command, he immediately chose one. The statue (agalma) is shaped like a man, with a helmet on its head, completely naked but with its private parts covered. The philosopher asked 'Who set it up?' and a lector replied 'Valentinian put it here'. And the philosopher said 'When did he add the donkey?' And when the other said 'At the same time', he said 'One day a donkey will be like a man; what a fate, for a man to follow a donkey!' May the words of the seer not come to pass! This problem, which Kranos expounded, was found in the books of Leo the Great, according to Ligurius the astronomer and consul of the same Emperor Leo.

65. In the time of Anastasius (491-518) Asclepiodorus looked at the large statue (zodion) in the Hippodrome which holds its hand up to its face and said 'O might! to think that all human need should be kneaded in the wit of one man'. And someone showed him the writing on the marble; when he had read it he observed 'It were good not to know in advance the things that are going to happen; so too I would have been better off if I had not read the inscription'.

66. Note that the statue (stele) called Taurus (i.e., the statue in the Forum Tauri) is Theodosius the Great (379-95). It is here that the emperor once used to receive the leaders of barbarian peoples. It was formerly silver, as Sozomen tells us. Clement says that the similar and manifold (sic) marble <statues> are of Constantine (IV, 668-85), the son of Constans (II, 641-68).

67. What is known as Pittakes (i.e. the statue in the Pittakia) is Leo the Great (457-74), commonly called the Butcher. The emperors used to hold receptions here. And there was once a palace here, which stood near the old church of S. Irene, according to John Diakrinomenos.

68. Note that the so-called Augusteum received three statues (stelai) in succession. First, one of Constantine, which also had five imperial <statues> below the column - Constantius (II, 337-61), Constans (I, 337-40), Constantine (II, 337-40) and Licinius (308-24), with Julian (361-63) added later. Under Theodosius the Great (379-95) another statue (stele) was substituted on the column, also of silver, with Arcadius and Honorius at ground level, as Theodore says. But in the writings of Sozomen, they say, it is Justinian (527-65) who is seen there today.

68a. The largest statue (zodion) in the Forum, as Theodoret and Eusebius say - and their books are apparently wrong - is of a pagan. It was put up by the blessed Constantine with prayers after he had consecrated it. According to the writings of Apollinarius and Alexander it is a statue of Constantine the Great, as Milichius the historian also claimed.

69. The tripod in the Great Strategion, according to Promountius, is of Alexander of Macedon. He confirmed it from the inscription, and those who are familiar with his writings - especially those who are in line with the prophecies - recognise that it is Alexander. And this same man writes that it was here that S. Constantine built the first forum for this city.

70. The so-called Philadelphion represents the sons of Constantine the Great. One of them arrived in Constantinople from Gaul after his father's death (337). They greeted each other with a great meeting and rejoicing, and at once erected statues (stelai) of themselves in the city preserving this scene. There was a statue (stele) of Julian (361-63) and Anastasia his wife, whom he ejected from the throne because she was a Christian, She was shorn in the monastery of Promotus. These statues (stelai) still stand in the Philadelphion to this day.

71. The so-called Xerolophos has a statue (stele), according to Diakrinomenos, of Theodosius II (408-50), with Valentinian (III, 425-55) and Marcian (450-57) at the foot of the pillar. There was an earthquake, and the statue (stele) fell down, and, so we are told, it was re-erected beyond the seven pillars. The group of Marcian and Valentinian was returned to the Tribunal.

72. The so-called Neorios (i.e. the statue at this harbour), also Arcadius (395-408) (sic). Conon (Leo III, 717-41) set up a statue there, finding the place elaborated with many works by Constantine the Great. Formerly the markets concerned with sea trade were here. In the time of Justinian they were moved to the harbour of Julian.

73. The Zeuxippus bath is called Severus, for it was built by Severus (193-211). Together with this he undertook the first foundation of the Hippodrome in a short space of time. The Constantinianai were built by Constantine the Great, as was the so-called Fossa. There were many remarkable statues (stelai) in the Constantinianai which have been destroyed.

74. The aqueduct was built by Valens the Arian (364-78), as Theodore writes; the cistern of the Basilica by Constantine the Great, the Chrysorrhoe by Licinius (308-24) at the order of Constantine. The bronze seated statue (stele) set up at the Basilica cistern is of Theodosius the Great (379-95). The statue (stele) which is behind the Magnaura in the eastern part of the raised Heliakon is Phocas (602-10). He showed much eagerness about its erection in the seventh year of his reign. There was a certain monk from the monastery of S. Theodore, called 'of Sykeon' - for according to this story the blessed Theodore lived in the days of the same Phocas, in the time of Thomas the Younger, patriarch of Constantinople (in fact Thomas I, 607-10), who besought S. Theodore and made him agree to tell Phocas to cease from his unsuitable murders. This the holy man did, and he advised the emperor not to treat his subjects inhumanly. The emperor asked for a sign from the father to come to him about his gout; then he would cease from his many murders. The holy man prayed, and he was delivered from his malady. But even so he did not stop killing. The aforementioned monk confided to someone concerning Phocas that he would die a terrible death at that time, while Sergius, patriarch after Thomas the Younger (610-38), was still a monk (for he confided in the monk also). Therefore this came to the ears of the Emperor Phocas while the statue (stele) was being cast, and he made so much haste in the erection of the statue (stele) that, as his contemporaries have told, he caused still more deaths. But he gave much money to the workmen to speed up the work; and eighteen days after the same statue (stele) was put up, he was cast out from the imperial power, getting nothing better than he dispensed, a horrible death.

75. In the area called Ta Marinakiou there stood a statue (stele) where a miraculous event took place. There was an earthquake and that whole place was destroyed from its foundation and the statue (stele) fell down from the column but stood upright, as those before our time have told us. For when they attempted to put it up in its original place, it stayed on the ground because it was very heavy. They say that this happened several times. We find that the statue (stele) was of Valentinian the Younger (III, 425-55). A philosopher then explained that the statue (stele) was made miraculous (semeiothenai) because of the unjust death of Valentinian, for until then they had thought the judgement fair <because of> the murder of Aetius.

76. From the place called Nicomedia many statues (stelai) came to Constantinople, including that of Diocletian which is preserved until today in the Hippodrome, stooping, in front of the so-called Kathisma.

77. There is a very heavy statue (stele) of Maximian in the area of the Chalke. Here the whole house of Theodosius the Spaniard (I, 379-95) is seen in statues (stelai) until today.

78. The four so-called Gorgons came from Ephesus from the temple of Artemis. They surround the vestibule of the Chalke and the sign (semeion) of the cross stands above them.

79. The statue (stele) called Artemis stands in the Hippodrome where the wrestlers exercise.

80. On the Chalke gate of the palace there are standing statues (stelai) of Zeno (474-9 1) and Ariadne, eventually chaste but earlier shameless, on pillars, carrying iambic inscriptions arranged by Secundus the philosopher.

81. The statue (stele) that faces the Zeuxippus, that is, that is in front of it, is of Justinian (527-65) and Theodora. When it was erected, Justinian was showered with praise, the Greens chanting: 'Justinian and Constantine the new apostles'. Also there was Sophia his wife (sic) who received praise through the iambic verses of the philosopher Plumbas.

82. The coloured image (stele) in the ancient bath, that is to say the Zeuxippus, is of Philippicus the gentle (711-13), who was deceived through ignorance. As the story goes, it is just like its model (prototypon). Painters greatly praised the artist, because he did not depart from the emperor's appearance with regard to the archetype (archetypon).

83. A great many statues (stelai) have come from the place called Iconium to Constantinople, among them one of Zeus that is still in the Hippodrome.

84. The four gilt horses that stand above the Hippodrome came from the island of Chios under Theodosius II (408-50).

85. From the above-mentioned Iconium comes a statue (stele) of Perseus and Andromeda, who was the daughter of Basiliscus; as the myths and one of the historians say, she was given as a sacrifice to the dragon that lived there. For this was an ancient custom, for a young maiden to be offered to the beast. In accordance with it Andromeda was bound, undeserving of death, and was about to be given to the beast. And the aforementioned Perseus, passing that way, asked the weeping Andromeda why she was bound and lamenting. She told him what had happened. But as he took up his position the beast came up. Turning away and facing backwards, Perseus showed the Gorgon's head he was carrying in his satchel to the beast, which expired on seeing it. So the city was called Iconium by Philodorus the logistes because Perseus came (ekenai) and saved Andromeda, a bright stroke of luck for the city from the coming of Perseus. The name of the city from its foundation was Doria; then it was called Threnodia, but by (? according to) Philodorus the logistes it was called Iconium from the coming of Perseus. Then the same Perseus was commemorated in a statue (estelothe) with Andromeda above the city gate; many sacrifices took place there by order of Decius (249-51) and Diocletian (284-305) and Maximian, and many saints were martyred there. The statues (stelai) of Perseus and Andromeda came, so we are told, in the reign of Constantius (II, 337-61), after the completion of the church of Antioch, to the bath of Constantinianai.

86. The statue (stele) behind S. Menas the martyr is of Anastasius (491-518). It was erected when the sacrifice of oxen to idols (eidola) stopped and the place was turned into a brothel; the emperor ordered this so that the place should be dishonoured.

87. In the so-called cistern of Aetius, which was founded by the patrician Aetius in the days of Valentinian (III, 425-55); there the statue (stele) of Valentinian himself is preserved in the cistern with Aetius escorting it.

88. The so-called cistern of Aspar was built by Aspar and Ardaburius under Leo the Great (45 7-74). When it was finished Aspar and Ardaburius met their deaths there.

89. Verina bewitched the island called Kranos. As to why she bewitched it, no reason can be found. But while this island was bewitched, suddenly many deaths took place, whence it remained deserted until the reign of Justinian, who three times ordered the sea to wash over it and overwhelm it completely.

Translation copyright @ Averil Cameron and Judith Herrin.

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