Chap. VIII Of the Statues, and the Antient Tripos of Apollo, Standing in the Xerolophon
Suidas writes, that the Xerolophon was formerly call’d Thema, because it was a kind of Repository, and contained in it fifteen winding Apartments, the Statue of Diana, and Severus, who built it; besides a Thermation, a Tripos from whence many Oracles were deliver’d. In this Place, the Founder of it us’d to offer Sacrifices; and among others he sacrificed a Virgin. Priscian, whom I find mention’d by Benedictus Ægius, indefatigably curious in his Search of Antiquity, observes, That the Azoles sometimes inserted in a Word the Letter Ϝ, as I have taken Notice of in some Inscriptions of a very antient Tripos of Apollo, still remaining in the Xerolophon; the Words of which are written after this Manner; Δημοφάϝων, Λαϝονάϝων. He tells us, that ’tis customary in another Place, meaning among the Æolians, to place an Ϝ between two Vowels of the same Word; as in ὄϝις, ovis, Δάϝος, Davus, ὦϝον, ovum. I have seen, says he, the same in some old Inscriptions, in very antient Characters, on some Tripos’s, especially on the Tripos of Apollo, which is at Constantinople; as Δημοφόϝων for Δημοφόων, Λαϝοκόϝων for Λαοκόων. Others add, that there were the like Insertions in the Xerolophon, a little above the Basis of the Pillars of Marcian, Valentinian, and Theodosius the Less. Zonaras tells us, that Simeon, a Prince of the Bulgarians, a Man of a cruel and turbulent Spirit, march’d an Army against the Chrobatians; when he was conquer’d, and lost his Army, partly by the Badness of the Roads, some Body inform’d the Emperor that the Statue plac’d above the Arch in the Xerolophon, looking Westward, was carv’d for the Statue of Simeon of Bulgaria, and that if any one cut off the Head of the Statue, Simeon should immediately die. The Emperor commands the Head of the Statue to be chopt off, and soon received the News that Simeon was dead of a violent Pain of the Stomach. For he watch’d to a Minute the Time of his Death. As to the Port of Theodosius, that was in the same Place where the Gardens, which are now call’d the Blancha, stand at present. These Gardens are enclos’d with a Wall, and are seated in a Plain, adjoyning to the Shore of the Propontis, at the Foot of the sixth Hill. The Mouth of the Port stood Eastward, from whence the Pier extended it self Westward, in a direct Line, where at present stand the Walls of the City. The Pier was twelve Foot in Thickness; and, as I found by walking it, ’twas six Hundred of my Paces in length. ’Tis now entirely ruin’d. The Gardens, which are very spacious, abound with Sallets and Potherbs, but have very few Fruit-Trees. These Gardens are water’d with Pools, which they have within them, and which are the Remains of the old Port. I discover’d by the Pier, and Situation of the Place, that ’twas above a Mile in compass. In the Mouth of the Port, not altogether unfit for Ships at present, without the City Wall, you still see a Fortress in its Ruins, surrounded by the Sea. The unknown Writer of the Empire of Constantinople asserts, That it was first called Thema, afterwards the Forum of Theodosius; tho’ it seems to me rather to be the Forum of Arcadius, by Reason the Pillar of Arcadius joyns to it. For the Forum of Theodosius, in all Probability, stood near the Port of Theodosius. This is no more than what is conformable to the Rules of Architecture, which prescribe, that a Market should be built near a Port. I am of Opinion, that it was formerly call’d the Port of Eleutherius, if we may credit those Writers who affirm, That Constantine the Great built a Wall from the Ridge of the first Hill to the Port of Sophia, and the Port of Eleutherius, built by Constantine the Great, to prevent the Inundations of the Sea. ’Tis called the Port of Eleutherius, because, when ’twas built, he was Surveyor of the Works. It was for this Reason, that there was a Marble Statue erected to him in that Port, bearing on his Shoulders a Basket of Marble, and holding in his Hand a Marble Spade. They add further, that Irena, and her Son Constantine, built him a noble Seat; and that from that Seat, as far as the Amastrianum, reach’d the Hippodrom, which was built by Theodosius the Great, and was demolish’d by Irena. Zonaras writes, that Irena, after she was remov’d from the Government by Constantine her Son, liv’d in a House which she built in the Port of Eleutherius. The Portico’s, which the ancient Description of the Wards of the City names with the Epithet Troadeæ, others mention with that of Troadesiæ, and tell us, that Constantine the Great built the Walls of the City as far as the Portico’s call’d Porticus Troadesiæ (that is, the Trojan Portico’s) and the Porta Aurea, which stood in the twelfth Ward. I am of Opinion, that they were call’d the Trojan Portico’s, because they contain’d some Things of the like Kind with that which was called the Porticus Varia. ’Tis reported, says he, that in the Portico, formerly call’d Plesiactia, and now Pæcilla, or Porticus Varia, a celebrated Painter drew the Face of Laodice, on the Picture of Elpinica. I had not known it by the Name it goes at present, had it not been for a Spring near it which they call Χρυσοπηγὴ, as deriving its Name from the Porta Aurea. This Spring, to this Day, constantly flows, and is drank with great Devotion by the Greeks, who hold all Springs, near their Churches, to be sacred. There’s nothing of the Church remaining at present, tho’ Procopius takes Notice of it. Justinian, says he, built two Churches to the Virgin Mary, before the Walls of the City one in the Blachernæ, the other in a Place call’d Πηγὴ, where there is a large Wood of Cypresses, a verdant Meadow, and a delightful Garden, which produces a great Store of fine Fruit, and where there is also a gentle Spring, which affords very good drinking Water. One of the Churches stood near the Sea-shore, the other near the Porta Aurea. Both of them, he adds, were near the end of the City Walls, and were upon Occasion impregnable Fortresses to it. From hence I would remark, that in the Time of Justinian, the Angle of the City, which they call the Angle of the seven Towers, was not within the City; but that the Land-wall from the Porta Aurea, straitned the Angle of the City into a more narrow Compass, as appears from the Situation of the Monastery of Studius, which stood upon a piece of Ground, which was formerly look’d upon to be in the Suburbs, but now stands further within the Walls, than the Angle of the seven Towers. He proceeds, and tells us, that Justinian, at a vast Expence, upon the Entrance of the Porta Aurea on the right Hand, rebuilt the Temple of Ja, (which Time had wholly defac’d) for the Service of the True God. The Observation I would make from hence is, that the Porta Aurea stood near the seventh Hill, call’d the Xerolophon, which is also confirm’d by Zonaras, who writes, That in the Time of Leo, many Churches and Houses, the Statue of Arcadius, plac’d upon a Pillar in the Xerolophon, and the Statue of Theodosius the Great, placed upon the Porta Aurea, as also the City Walls, reaching to the Continent on the Field side, were overthrown by an Earthquake. Cedrinus asserts, that the Statue of Victory, near the Porta Aurea, was overturn’d by the same Earthquake. Other Historians mention, that by the same Earthquake, which happen’d the Vᵗʰ of the Calends of November, many sacred Buildings, and many others of common Use, with Multitudes of People, were destroy’d; and that the Statue of Constantine the Great, which stood upon the Gate of Attalus, with the Gate it self, was demolish’d by it. It is therefore a great Mistake in those, who take the Porta Aurea to be the same Gate which is now call’d Oria, and is seated in the Northern Part of the City, which, as I observ’d before, was called the Port of Neorius, since ’tis plain from what I have mentioned, that the Porta Aurea was in the Western Part of the City. This is also evident from the antient Description of the Wards of Constantinople, which tells us, that the Length of the City, from the Porta Aurea to the Sea-shore, in a direct Line, is fourteen Thousand and seventy five Feet. Cedrinus takes Notice, that the Elephants stabled in the Porta Aurea, were much of that Kind, with which Theodosius made his publick Entry into the City. ’Tis said that Theodosius the Less who built the Walls of the City as far as the Blachernæ, brought the Statues of those Elephants, which are plac’d upon the Porta Aurea, from the Temple of Mars at Athens. Cedrinus asserts, that Philip King of Macedon built the great Church of Mocius the Martyr, and a Church to St. Anne in a Place call’d Secundus. Procopius says, that both these Churches were built by Justinian. I have seen some Remains of the Church of Mocius, near a large Cistern, built by Justinian, on the Top of the seventh Hill. All its Pillars are standing, and it goes still under the Name of Mocius. Some Historians, and Suidas the Grammarian say, that this Cistern was built by Anastasius Dicorus. It may be worth Enquiry, whether the Moneta, which the antient Description of the Wards places in this Ward, was the Temple of Juno Moneta, or the Treasury. For the Grand Seignor, to this Day, makes use of the Castle with seven Towers for a Treasury. Suidas writes, that the Statue of Juno was supported by a Brazen Arch, made somewhat in Form of a Pair of Barbers Scissars, but takes no Notice where it stood; so that I desire the Reader would lay no great Stress upon what I have said of the Moneta.