Reliefs of the Theotokos (Virgin Mary) and Archangel Michael from the Peribleptos Monastery, produced after the Byzantine reconquest of Constantinople in 1261 At the Bode Museum in Berlin, acquired from the Armenian church Surp Kevork at Samatya (at the site of Peribleptos Monastery) in 1899.

Chi-Rho mosaic at the so-called Mausoleum of Galla Placidia in Ravenna Chi and Rho are the first two letters of Christ in Greek. The mosaic is accompanied by the first and last Greek letters, referring to the Book of Revelation 21:6: “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End...”

Historic images of Antioch (modern Antakya) Louis-François Cassas (1799), Abraham Parsons (1808), from William Miller (1866), and Frédéric Gadmer (1921)

The Evil Eye mosaic and other Roman floor mosaics at the Necmi Asfuroglu Museum in Antakya (historic Antioch). Photos taken this week

Crowned personification of Antioch (Antiocheia/Antakya) on the Tabula Peutingeriana, believed a medieval copy of the Late Roman map. At Österreichische Nationalbibliothek in Vienna

Solidus of Constans II with his sons Minted in Constantinople in 663-668 At Dumbarton Oaks

Hagia Sophia and Hagia Eirene

Galata Tower along with other Genoese walls and towers of Galata/Pera

Monastery of the Holy Trinity near Pljevlja, Montenegro

Porphyry sarcophagus of Constantina, daughter of Constantine the Great While now at the Vatican Museums, it originally located at Santa Costanza, believed to be the mausoleum (tomb) of Constantina located outside the walls of Rome.

“View of Istanbul rooftops” Photo by Harrison Forman (c. 1950s) UWM Libraries Digital Collections

“Sailing Boats Off Seraglio Point, Constantinople” by M. Zeno Diemer (1867-1939)

Head of Tiberius At Istanbul Archaeological Museums This first-century sculpture recarved in the reign of Constantine I. It was discovered at Çemberlitaş, where the Forum of Constantine was located.

Mosaic Icon of Christ Pantokrator Constantinople, first quarter of 12 century At the Bode Museum in Berlin

Mosaic of an elephant and lion fighting From the Great Palace Mosaic Museum

Maiden’s Tower (Kız Kulesi) is an Ottoman tower on an island off the Asian coast of the Bosphorus. Emperor Manuel I Komnenos built a tower on the island in the mid-twelfth century. Check out recently updated page www.thebyzantinelegacy.com/maidens-tower

Map of Ottoman Kostantiniyye (Constantinople, modern Istanbul) From the illustrated manuscript Hünernâme (c. 1584)

Inscription from the dome of Hagia Sophia in Thessaloniki “Men of Galilee, why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.” [Acts 1:11]

“The Seraglio Point” From The Beauties of the Bosphorus by Miss Pardoe, illustrated in a Series of Views of Constantinople and its Environ from original Drawings by W.H. Bartlett (1838)

Hieron (Yoros) Castle and an eagle flying by the Bosphorus A short video on Yoros youtu.be/s8ueLrL5_hM

“The Seven Churches of Rome” A depiction of the seven pilgrimage churches of Rome from Speculum Romanae Magnificentiae (1575)

Ottoman Bronze Cannon from the reign of Mehmet II Possibly used in Siege of Constantinople in 1453 ​At Istanbul Military Museum

Mosaic of Abraham's Sacrifice at San Vitale in Ravenna This 6th-century church was built in the capital of Byzantine Italy during the reign of Justinian.

Reconstructed Colossus of Constantine In the gardens of the Capitoline Museums in Rome youtu.be/y6iM1osAPKM

City of Domes Zeyrek Camii/formerly Pantokrator Monastery, Eski İmaret Camii/possibly the formerly Pantepoptes Monastery, Gül Camii/traditionally identified as the Church of St. Theodosia, and the Süleymaniye Photos taken this afternoon

Coins of the [Byzantine] Emperor of Nicaea Theodore I Laskaris (1204-1222), Sultan of Egypt and Syria Salah al-Din [Saladin] (1174-1193), Sultan of the Seljuqs of Rum Kaykhusraw [Keyhüsrev] II (1237-1246) at the British Museum, and seal of Latin Emperor Baldwin II (1240-1261) at Dumbarton Oaks

Porphyry statue of Diocletian at the Graeco-Roman Museum in Alexandria

The so-called Pompey's Pillar and Sphinxes at the ruins of the Hellenistic Serapeum of Alexandria Photos from today’s visit

Abu Mina was a pilgrimage site in Late Antique Egypt southwest of Alexandria. It was an imperial-sponsored complex centered on the tomb of St. Menas, a Mediterranean-wide venerated martyred military saint. Nearby is 20th c. Monastery of Saint Mina, now largest in Egypt. Photos from today’s visit

Archaeological remains of churches at the Greco-Roman Museum in Alexandria, Egypt

Roman and Byzantine archaeology of Alexandria, Egypt Photos taken yesterday

"The Obelisk of Cleopatra at Alexandria" from Forbin's Voyage dans le Levant (1819) Looking forward to visiting Alexandria next week

Recently discovered water channel of the Late Roman (Valens) Aqueduct in Gaziosmanpaşa/Istanbul A special thanks to Derya Talay, see link for article on the excavations Photos from recent visit, interior channel photo by Dr. Kerim Altuğ

Apse of Hagia Sophia

Mausoleum of Theodoric in Ravenna Theodoric, the king of the Ostrogoths and ruler of Italy, was interred at this mausoleum when he died in 526. It was built outside the city walls of Ravenna, the last capital of the Western Roman Empire.

Kariye Camii (formerly Chora Monastery) was often called the "Mosaic Mosque" by 19th-century travelers to late Ottoman Kostantiniyye/Constantinople Photos by Sébah & Joaillier (c. 1890s)

Emperor Constantine inaugurated Constantinople as his new capital on May 11, 330

Video of the Column of Constantine, included in the inauguration of Constantinople on May 11, 330 youtu.be/fpqzGCVhf_Y

The 6th-century Sion Treasure is a collection of fifty-seven silver vessels discovered during illegal excavations in 1963. It is located in Antalya Museum, Dumbarton Oaks and private collections. It seems to have come from the Holy Sion Monastery located north of modern Demre (Myra), Antalya.

Dome of Hagia Sophia

The Marmara Sea and Hagia Sophia

The Long Wall of Thrace, built by Anastasius I in the early 6th century to protect Constantinople and its Thracian hinterland, and Kumalıgerme Aqueduct Bridge, part of the long-distance water supply system built in the late 4th century and expanded in the 5th century. Photos taken yesterday

Ruins of the Middle Byzantine Church of St. George, located near the cliffs of the Black Sea coast where the Long Wall of Thrace ends Photos from today’s visit to Evcik/Çatalca in Istanbul Province

Byzantine oil lamp in the form of a sandaled foot 5th century Byzantine (Syria?) At the MET @metmuseum.org

A Statue of Constantine (or perhaps his son) is in the Basilica of St. John in Lateran, the first church built by Constantine in Rome.

The Walled City of Constantinople by Jean-Léon Huens

Animal Footprints in Bricks at İznik/Nicaea youtu.be/cT1hA09nr18

Early Byzantine ambos in Nicaea (modern İznik) An ambo, the pulpit of churches, was typically an elevated platform with stairs in the Early Byzantine/Late Roman era. The fragments of ambos in Nicaea belong the elevated platform and once had stairs leading down on each side.

Theater masks from gate of the walls of Iznik/historic Nicaea in Bithynia (modern Bursa Province) Photos from last weekend's visit