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Milion

The Milion was a monumental Roman-style milestone and tetrapylon structure in Constantinople, erected by Emperor Constantine the Great around 330 CE as the symbolic and practical zero point for measuring distances across the Roman Empire.^[1]^[2] Located in the heart of the city within the Augusteion forum, adjacent to the Hagia Sophia and marking the starting point of the Mese—the empire's main imperial road—it was modeled directly after Rome's Milliarium Aureum to affirm Constantinople's status as the "New Rome" and the geopolitical center of the world.^[1]^[2] The structure featured a domed four-way arch adorned with prominent statues, including those of Constantine I, his mother Helena, the city goddess Tyche, and a cross symbolizing the shift to Christian imperial ideology.^[1]^[2] Subsequent emperors enhanced its grandeur: Justinian I added a horologion (sundial) in the 6th century, while Justin II erected statues of his family members, reinforcing its role as a hub for imperial processions, ceremonies, and even public executions during Byzantine political upheavals.^[1] The Milion's centrality made it a focal point of urban life, embodying the continuity of Roman traditions in the Byzantine era, until it was severely damaged during the sack of Constantinople by the Fourth Crusade in 1204 CE and later obscured by Ottoman-era waterworks.^[1] Archaeological excavations in 1967–1968 uncovered remnants of the monument near the site, confirming its historical descriptions and highlighting its enduring legacy as a cornerstone of the city's Roman-Byzantine identity.^[1]

Introduction and Overview

Etymology and Naming

The term "Milion" derives from the Ancient Greek Μίλιον (Mílion), a Hellenized adaptation of the Latin miliarium, signifying a milestone or marker from which distances across the empire were calculated. This nomenclature directly reflected the monument's role as the zero point for measuring routes to all cities within the Roman and later Byzantine realms. The underlying Latin miliarium stems from mille passus ("thousand paces"), denoting the Roman mile of roughly 1,480 meters, a unit comprising 1,000 double steps or passus.^[3]^[4] Erected in early 4th-century Constantinople by Emperor Constantine the Great, the Milion emulated Rome's Milliarium Aureum, a gilded milestone installed by Augustus around 20 BCE in the Roman Forum as the symbolic origin of all roads. The name's persistence from Roman to Byzantine contexts underscored the empire's enduring infrastructural and symbolic traditions, with the Greek form maintaining the Latin root amid the shift to Greek as the primary administrative language after Constantine's refounding of Byzantium as the new capital.^[4]^[3] Historical texts exhibit minor orthographic variations, such as "Milliarium" in Latin-oriented accounts or "Milliarion" in some Greek manuscripts, while the standard Byzantine usage favored "Milion." Later chroniclers like the 10th-century Patria Constantinopoleos (attributed to Hesychius Illustrios) and George Cedrenos consistently employ "Milion" when describing its adornments, ceremonies, or associated events. Theophanes the Confessor's Chronographia similarly references the site under this name in narrating 8th- and 9th-century incidents.^[3]^[5]

Historical Significance

The Milion served as the central zero milestone of the Eastern Roman Empire, functioning as the equivalent to Rome's Milliarium Aureum and marking the point from which all distances to cities and provinces were officially measured beginning with the founding of Constantinople in 330 AD.^[6] Erected under Emperor Constantine I, it established a standardized system for road networks across the empire, with inscriptions and nearby structures recording routes to key locations such as Antioch.^[7] This administrative function underscored its practical role in imperial logistics and travel, paralleling Roman traditions of monumental mile markers.^[1] Symbolically, the Milion embodied Constantinople's status as the "New Rome," or Nova Roma, central to Constantine's ambitious urban planning that repositioned the empire's heart eastward while preserving Roman imperial traditions.^[6] Adorned with statues of Constantine, his mother Helena, and the city's Tyche (fortune), it visually reinforced the Christian imperial ideology that Constantine championed, blending pagan Roman symbolism with emerging Christian motifs to legitimize the new capital as a divine and eternal center of power.^[1] This monument thus projected the unity and centrality of the Roman world under Christian rule, serving as a physical anchor for the ideological shift from old Rome to the refounded city.^[7] In Byzantine governance, the Milion exerted lasting influence as the focal point for official road networks and administrative mapping, with a dedicated bureau nearby providing travelers and officials with detailed itineraries that informed provincial administration and military movements.^[7] It was integral to imperial ceremonies, processions, and state events, where edicts and proclamations from the adjacent palace were often tied to its location, symbolizing the emperor's authority over the empire's expanse.^[6] Through these roles, the Milion not only facilitated practical governance but also reinforced the hierarchical structure of Byzantine rule, linking the capital's centrality to the administration of distant territories.^[1]

Location and Architecture

Geographical Position

The Milion is located at coordinates 41°00′29″N 28°58′41″E in the Eminönü district of Istanbul, within the Cağaloğlu neighborhood.^[8] This positioning places it at the northwestern corner of what was formerly the Augustaion square, now integrated into Sultanahmet Square.^[6] It stands adjacent to the Hagia Sophia and near the entrance to the Basilica Cistern, forming a key node in the historic peninsula's layout.^[1] The monument marked the starting point of the Mese, the primary processional road extending westward from the city center.^[9] In the broader urban context, the Milion occupied the ceremonial heart of ancient Constantinople, proximate to the Hippodrome and the remnants of the imperial palace complex, underscoring its centrality in the Byzantine capital's spatial organization.^[10]

Structural Design and Features

The Milion was constructed as a tetrapylon, a rectangular monument characterized by four intersecting arches that created open passages in two perpendicular directions, supporting a central dome vault. This design facilitated its role as a prominent gateway at a key urban intersection, with the structure elevated on a platform accessible via a monumental stairway. The vault was borne by marble columns, while the paving consisted of marble slabs, contributing to its imperial aesthetic.^[11] At the heart of the Milion stood a central column or pillar, originally gilded, which served as the focal point for inscriptions marking it as the empire's zero milestone. Surrounding this core element were statues of key figures, including Emperor Constantine I, his mother Helena, and the Tyche, the goddess personifying the fortune of Constantinople, often positioned atop the structure with a cross between Constantine and Helena to emphasize Christian imperial protection. Additional sculptures, including equestrian statues of Trajan, Hadrian, and Theodosius II, flanked the monument, enhancing its commemorative presence.^[12]^[13]^[6] Among its decorative elements were inscriptions on plaques recording distances to major cities across the empire, underscoring its function as a reference point for Roman and Byzantine road networks. Emperor Justinian I added a sundial to the structure in the sixth century, integrating practical timekeeping into its symbolic form. Reliefs and mosaics adorned the interiors, initially depicting scenes from the Ecumenical Councils before being replaced under Constantine V with representations of imperial victories and chariot races from the Hippodrome.^[6]^[13]

Historical Timeline

Roman Origins

The site of the Milion in the Roman city of Byzantium featured a milestone serving as a practical marker for measuring distances along local roads, reflecting standard Roman engineering practices for urban planning and administration, as seen in the tradition of miliaria exemplified by the Milliarium Aureum in Rome established under Augustus. In the context of Roman provincial administration, this early marker served as a local distance indicator within the province of Thrace, where Byzantium held strategic importance as a port and frontier city near the border with the Danube provinces. At this early stage, it lacked the imperial significance it would later acquire, instead supporting routine logistical needs such as trade routes and military movements in the eastern provinces, predating any centralized role in a capital city.

Byzantine Establishment and Evolution

The Milion was established by Emperor Constantine I in 330 AD as the preeminent zero-mile marker in the newly inaugurated capital of Constantinople, serving as the reference point for measuring distances across the entire empire. This monumental tetrapylon, inspired by the Roman Milliarium Aureum but elevated to symbolize the Christian Roman Empire, featured arches supporting a domed structure adorned with statues of Constantine, his mother Helena, and the city's Tyche, flanked by a prominent cross to emphasize its Christian character.^[1]^[6] During the Iconoclastic controversy, depictions of religious scenes on the Milion were reportedly removed under Emperor Constantine V (741–775) and replaced with hunting motifs, reflecting the era's theological debates.^[1] During the 6th century, the Milion received significant enhancements under Emperor Justinian I, particularly in the aftermath of the Nika riots in 532 AD, which devastated much of the city center; repairs to the structure were integrated into Justinian's extensive urban renewal program, including the addition of a nearby horologion for public timekeeping. These modifications not only restored the monument's functionality but also reinforced its role as a focal point adjacent to the Augusteion and Hagia Sophia.^[1] In the 10th and 11th centuries, further restorations occurred, notably under Emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus, who repaired the aging structure amid ongoing maintenance of the city's ceremonial core; these efforts underscored the monument's adaptation to Byzantine theological priorities during the empire's Macedonian Renaissance, following the end of iconoclasm.^[14]^[1] Over time, the Milion's usage evolved to become integral to Byzantine imperial ceremonies, marking the initial station where emperors were acclaimed by factions like the Blues upon entering the city along the Mese avenue from the Golden Gate during triumphal processions. This integration transformed the site from a mere measurement point—built upon an earlier Roman base—into a dynamic hub of political and liturgical pageantry, where processions would proceed eastward toward the Hippodrome and imperial palace.^[1]^[6]

Late Byzantine and Ottoman Periods

The Milion was damaged during the sack of Constantinople by the Fourth Crusade in 1204, though it partially survived the series of devastating fires that ravaged the city during the Latin occupation from 1203 to 1204. Contemporary accounts, such as those by Nicetas Choniates, indicate that while structures around the monument, including parts of the Arch of the Milion, were consumed by flames, the core of the Milion endured alongside nearby landmarks like the Augusteion and the patriarchal palace.^[15]^[1] This resilience allowed it to persist through the subsequent reconquest by Michael VIII Palaiologos in 1261, maintaining its role as a central urban feature in the diminished late Byzantine capital. During the final Ottoman assault in 1453, the Milion sustained only minor damage amid the broader conquest, which focused destruction on defensive structures rather than ceremonial monuments in the city center. Rather than being demolished, it was repurposed by the new Ottoman administration as a practical reference point for local distance measurements within Istanbul, echoing its original function as the empire's zero milestone.^[16] This continuity underscores the monument's enduring utility in the transitioning urban landscape, where Byzantine infrastructure often informed Ottoman planning. In the Ottoman era, the Milion continued to serve as a marker for measurements into the early 16th century, but it was gradually dismantled to supply materials for the city's expanding water system. Fragments were incorporated into these hydraulic projects, marking the end of the structure's visibility above ground.^[7] Eyewitness accounts from late 15th- and early 16th-century travelers document the monument's partial state before its complete disappearance. For instance, visitors like those chronicling the post-conquest city noted its dilapidated but recognizable form near Hagia Sophia, while Pierre Gilles, traveling in the 1540s, observed only scattered remnants amid ongoing urban changes.^[6] These records capture the Milion's final decades as a fading Byzantine relic in the evolving Ottoman metropolis.

Decline, Preservation, and Rediscovery

Destruction and Loss

The Milion survived the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in 1453 but was largely dismantled in the early 16th century to provide building materials for the expansion of the nearby Aqueduct of Valens, a key Ottoman infrastructure project aimed at improving the city's water supply. This practical reuse of ancient materials was common in Ottoman urban development, reflecting the empire's approach to integrating and repurposing Byzantine structures rather than preserving them as monuments.^[1] Contributing to the structure's vulnerability were natural decay processes exacerbated by seismic activity, such as the major 1509 earthquake—known as the "Little Apocalypse"—which inflicted widespread damage on Constantinople's buildings and infrastructure. Urban encroachment further accelerated the loss, as expanding Ottoman constructions and daily use of the area buried or obscured remaining elements without any evidence of deliberate iconoclastic intent against the monument's Christian associations.^[17] By the 1570s, the Milion had vanished from view, with only scattered fragments left buried underground; this absence is corroborated by Ottoman cartographic records and European travel itineraries, such as that of Pierre Gilles, who visited the city in the 1540s and explicitly noted the monument's prior destruction.^[3]

20th-Century Excavations

In 1967–1968, Turkish archaeologists Nezih Fıratlı and Tülay Ergil, working under the Istanbul Archaeological Museums, conducted key excavations at the site of the Milion following the demolition of overlying residential structures. These efforts revealed the monument's foundations, along with scattered marble fragments, column bases, and inscribed elements that confirmed its identity as the ancient milestone structure. The stratigraphic sounding provided critical evidence of the Milion's architectural layout, including remnants of its tetrapylon form.^[18]^[19] Among the notable discoveries were inscribed marble elements bearing distance measurements and bases for statues that once adorned the monument, offering insights into its role as a commemorative and administrative hub. These artifacts, preserved in the Istanbul Archaeological Museums, highlighted the Milion's elaborate decoration and its evolution through Byzantine phases. The excavations, detailed in the official report, marked a significant step in verifying the site's location near the modern Sultanahmet area, adjacent to the Hippodrome.^[19]^[20] Following the excavations, a composite pillar was re-erected at the original location using authentic marble pieces recovered from the digs supplemented by replicas to restore its visibility. This reconstruction effort aimed to commemorate the monument's historical importance while integrating it into the urban landscape. In 2021, ongoing restoration and excavation work at the site uncovered a human relief, further contributing to the understanding of the monument's decorative elements.^[21] Today, the site stands as a protected archaeological monument under Turkish cultural heritage laws, with ongoing conservation measures to safeguard the remains from environmental degradation and urban pressures.^[16]^[6]^[22]

Cultural and Symbolic Role

Measurement and Administrative Function

The Milion served as the central zero point for the Roman and Byzantine itinerarium system, from which all major road distances across the empire were measured and recorded. Erected as a monumental tetrapylon in the early 4th century near the Hagia Sophia and the start of the Mese avenue, it functioned as the official origin for itineraries listing routes to provincial cities, with inscriptions or associated records denoting mileage to key destinations.^[23] In administrative terms, the Milion underpinned imperial governance by enabling standardized measurement for roads emanating from Constantinople.^[24] This structure was analogous to Rome's Milliarium Aureum, the golden milestone in the Roman Forum that similarly marked distances from the imperial center, but the Milion was uniquely integrated with the Mese—the empire's principal east-west artery—positioning Constantinople as the literal and figurative spine of Byzantine connectivity and control.^[25]

Artistic and Commemorative Elements

The Milion's statuary program prominently featured bronze and marble figures that underscored imperial piety and the city's divine protection. Atop the central arch stood statues of Emperor Constantine the Great and his mother Helena, flanking a cross and accompanied by an allegorical figure of the Tyche, the goddess personifying the fortune of Constantinople.^[26] These sculptures, likely rendered in relief form by the ninth century, symbolized the foundational role of Constantine in establishing the Christian capital and invoked Tyche's enduring guardianship over the empire's prosperity and victories.^[26] Subsequent emperors expanded the ensemble to affirm dynastic continuity, integrating additional statues into the monument's bases and surrounding areas. Under Justin II in the sixth century, female figures representing his wife Sophia, daughter Arabia, and niece Helena were added to the lower sections, blending personal legacy with public commemoration.^[6] Nearby equestrian statues of earlier Roman emperors, such as Trajan and Hadrian—or possibly Theodosius II—further evoked the Roman heritage while reinforcing Byzantine imperial authority.^[1] These elements transformed the Milion into a visual dynastic pantheon, where sculptures of rulers and their kin propagated legitimacy through association with Constantine's foundational achievements. The monument's visual narratives, executed in reliefs and vault paintings, served as dynamic tools for religious and imperial propaganda. In the early eighth century, Emperors Philippikos Bardanes and Anastasios II commissioned depictions of the ecumenical councils, including the pivotal Council of Nicaea in 325 AD, to affirm Orthodox doctrine against heresies such as Arianism.^[6] These images, housed in the Milion's domed vault, commemorated key theological triumphs and positioned the site as a bastion of ecclesiastical orthodoxy.^[27] During the Iconoclastic period, Emperor Constantine V removed these council scenes, replacing them with paintings of Hippodrome chariot races to promote secular entertainments over religious iconography.^[28] As a public gallery at the heart of Constantinople's ceremonial landscape, the Milion reinforced Orthodox Christianity and dynastic legitimacy through its accessible artistry, drawing crowds during festivals and imperial processions.^[6] The evolving decorations mirrored shifts in Byzantine ideology, from theological assertions to imperial spectacles, ensuring the monument's role in communal rituals that celebrated the empire's enduring Christian identity and rulers' divine mandate.^[27]

References

[1]
Milion - The Byzantine Legacy
The Milion was the mile marker in Constantinople, located near the Augustaion and Hagia Sophia. It marked the beginning of the Mese, the central avenue of ...
[2]
https://epublications.marquette.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1255&context=hist_fac
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Μεγάλη διαδικτυακή εγκυκλοπαίδεια της Κωνσταντινούπολης
The Milion was built by Constantine the Great in the first half the 4th c., imitating the Miliarium aureum of Augustus16, in the context of transferring the ...Missing: scholarly | Show results with:scholarly
[4]
LacusCurtius • Milliare (Smith's Dictionary, 1875)
### Definition and Etymology of Milliarium
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LacusCurtius • Procopius — The Buildings: Book 1, Part 2
### Summary of Chapter 10, Book 1: Augusteum and Milion/Milestone
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Hesychius, Patria of Constantinople - ToposText
He enslaved the insurgent Thracians in battle and set up a bronze trophy at the so-called Milion (milestone) of the city. ... Ancient Texts/Places/People/Contact ...
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Milion of Constantinople | Turkish Archaeological News
Apr 5, 2022 · The Milion was a zero milestone in Constantinople, a tetrapylon used to measure distances to cities, and was located at the city's center.Missing: Greek | Show results with:Greek
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The Milion Stone | The Zero-Mile Marker
### Summary of Milion Stone Details
[9]
Istanbul Zero KM Marker - Byzantine Milion Stone
Istanbul Kilometre Zero · Latitude: 41° 00.517' N · Longitude: 28° 58.66167' E ...
[10]
The horses of St. Mark's
It may be, too, that such quadriga already were in place when Constantine founded the city in AD 330, either commissioned by Septimus Severus to commemorate his ...
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Where to find Constantinople Today - The Wildlife Diaries
Jul 18, 2023 · The power centre of Constantinople, comprising Hagia Sophia, the Hippodrome, and the Great Palace, was located in the modern-day neighbourhood ...
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Tetrapylon (Τετράπυλο)
### Summary of the Milion in Constantinople as a Tetrapylon
[13]
https://www.livius.org/articles/place/constantinople-istanbul/constantinople-photos/constantinople-augusteon-square/
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Constantinople, Augusteôn Square - Livius.org
Aug 5, 2020 · In the west was the monument that was called Milion (the Golden Milestone; Μίλιον), on which the distances to the cities of the Empire were ...Missing: etymology mylion<|control11|><|separator|>
[15]
Late Antique Honorific Sculpture in Constantinople - Academia.edu
... Septimius Severus (193–211) at the western edge of the old Greek town of ... Milion, the Hippodrome, the Regia, and the entrance to the Great Palace ...
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Ancient Greek bronze sacrificial tripod from Delphi (479 BC) relocated to the central spina of the Hippodrome by Constantine in 324. Tribunal Street View.Missing: texts | Show results with:texts
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The Fires of the Fourth Crusade in Constantinople 1203-1204
In any event, Constantinople had an abundance of buildings with marble columns; there was no reason to steal from a small, relatively new, and otherwise ...
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The Milion, was a mile-marker monument erected in the early 4th century AD in Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul, Turkey). It was the starting-place for ...
[19]
Turkey braces for next major earthquake | News - Al Jazeera
Apr 19, 2014 · He explained that of the approximately one million buildings in Istanbul, two percent would be damaged beyond repair (either collapse fully or ...
[20]
[PDF] Discovering and Preserving Byzantine Constantinople: Archaeology ...
Aug 22, 2022 · 2001. In 1967, the Milion's remains were found near the Ottoman water siphon at Sul- tanahmet. For the report, see Fıratlı, Ergil 1969.
[21]
Archaeology and Heritage Policies in Istanbul - Academia.edu
Fıratlı, N.; Ergil, T. (1969). “The Milion Sounding”. İstanbul Arkeoloji Müzeleri Yıllığı, 15-16, 208-12. Forchheimer, P.; Strzygowski, J. (1893). Die ...
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Visiting The Stone of Million - Hours, Tickets, History, and Tips
Jul 25, 2024 · The site is now protected, and measures have been taken to prevent further degradation. The fragments of the Milion are displayed in situ, ...Missing: conservation | Show results with:conservation<|control11|><|separator|>
[24]
[PDF] The Byzantine Harbours of Constantinople
The distance was counted from the Milion, the central milestone close to the Hagia Sophia, which is why the area was known as Hebdomon or Septimo (Greek / ...
[25]
[PDF] Acting Virtuously: Ceremonial Displays of Imperial Virtue in Byzantium
It went from the milion, the first milestone of the empire from which various distances were measured, to the Golden Gate near the coast of the Sea of Marmara, ...
[26]
https://assets.cambridge.org/97811089/58370/excerpt/9781108958370_excerpt.pdf
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[PDF] The Statues of Constantinople Albrecht Berger Excerpt
by the Crusaders at the Fourth Crusade in 1204. Most of these statues were ... Beyond the Chalke at the Milion to the east are Constantine and Helena above.
[28]
https://www.columbia.edu/cu/arthistory/faculty/Freedberg/Structure-byzantine-european-iconoclasm.pdf
[29]
[PDF] The Structure of Byzantine and European Iconoclasm
He replaced the representations of the Six Ecumenical Councils in the. Milion with a portrait of his favourite charioteer racing, and so on. 108. 109. What all ...