XPost: soc.history.medieval, soc.history.war.misc

On 3/3/25 16:10, a425couple wrote:

My wife showed me an advertisement from a travel agency that
has her on their list.  It was a great deal for around 10 days
in Greece and islands.  She said Greece was on her bucket list.
OK, we signed up.  Cheapest air was Turkish Airlines, so it
had a change of plane in Istanbul.
Well, a recent read of mine was "The Fall of Constantinople 1453"

I failed to properly double check, the book I read was
1453: The Holy War for Constantinople and the Clash of Islam
and the West Paperback – Illustrated, August 15, 2006
by Roger Crowley

by Steven Runciman.  So I said, lets see if we can lay over
a couple of days and see that wonderful historic city.
These Theodosian Walls of Constantinople spanned the entire
Medieval Ages.

from a facebook post

History pictures  · Follow
rdtpeosoSn

aThe Theodosian Walls of Constantinople, once a formidable defense
system protecting the Byzantine Empire, stood as a monumental
achievement in engineering and fortification for over a thousand years.
By the 1950s, however, these walls had begun to show the effects of time
and neglect. Erosion, wear, and the expanding city of Istanbul had taken their toll, and while the walls remained impressive, they were no longer
the impenetrable barriers they once were.
Despite their deteriorating state, the walls still served as a powerful symbol of the city’s rich historical legacy and its enduring resilience.
In the 1950s, as Istanbul rapidly modernized, the ancient structure was
often overlooked in the rush to expand the city, but it still attracted
the attention of historians, architects, and curious visitors eager to connect with the past. The walls stood as a quiet reminder of Constantinople's former glory amid the growing urban sprawl.
As modern buildings and infrastructure grew up around the walls, a stark contrast emerged between the ancient fortifications and the contemporary cityscape. The juxtaposition of old and new reflected Istanbul’s complex history, where the past and present coexisted side by side. Though the Theodosian Walls were no longer the city's primary defense, they
remained an enduring testament to the endurance and history of one of
the world’s greatest empires., once a formidable defense system
protecting the Byzantine Empire, stood as a monumental achievement in engineering and fortification for over a thousand years. By the 1950s, however, these walls had begun to show the effects of time and neglect. Erosion, wear, and the expanding city of Istanbul had taken their toll,
and while the walls remained impressive, they were no longer the
impenetrable barriers they once were.
Despite their deteriorating state, the walls still served as a powerful symbol of the city’s rich historical legacy and its enduring resilience.
In the 1950s, as Istanbul rapidly modernized, the ancient structure was
often overlooked in the rush to expand the city, but it still attracted
the attention of historians, architects, and curious visitors eager to connect with the past. The walls stood as a quiet reminder of Constantinople's former glory amid the growing urban sprawl.
As modern buildings and infrastructure grew up around the walls, a stark contrast emerged between the ancient fortifications and the contemporary cityscape. The juxtaposition of old and new reflected Istanbul’s complex history, where the past and present coexisted side by side. Though the Theodosian Walls were no longer the city's primary defense, they
remained an enduring testament to the endurance and history of one of
the world’s greatest empires.

Comments include

Richard Burke
There was no Byzantine Empire or Byzantine Emperor. It was the Roman
Empire with Roman Emperors.
2d
Reply
Dennis Flaherty
Richard Burke Constantine reunited the Empire and made Constantinople
its new capital, yes, but that concept didn't outlive his reign.
Following his death, the empire remained split West and East, with
capitals at Ravenna and Constantinople, until the Western Empire fell in
476. The Eastern Empire briefly reconquered Italy and North Africa under Justinian, but that quickly failed with the Islamic invasions and the
loss of Italy to the Lombards.
Don't kid yourself: the Eastern Empire never again looked at Western
Europe as part of its realm, so the Western Empire had to be rebuilt,
Mitre and Scepter. The Greeks failed to appreciate the effort and
continued to regard the West as lost to barbarians.
23h
Reply
Don Teeter
Richard Burke Explain, please. After Rome fell, the eastern half
continued on for a thousand years with its capital at Constantinople,
fka Byzantium. Your comment looks like nonsense so explain, please.
2d
Reply

Alain Barthelmé
Thé city would so great without ottomans invasion
1d
Reply
Γεώργιος Μπάρτζης
Nothing Roman was finally left, there was no Rome to rule the east part
of a late Roman Empire, after 476 BC.
There was a statal, symbolic continuity of course, but as time was going
on, a gradual procedure of hellenization took over the very soul of the state. Thus, the term "Byzantine" long after the fall of
Constaninople,was invented from german scholars, to describe for historiographic classification purposes, the new-real identity of the
empire.
Far from calling the state Greek, we modern greeks, consider ourselves
as descendants and indisputable heirs, of Byzantium in general.
We share common language, religion, customs, ceremonies so much, that we definitely feel closer to Byzantium, than ancient Greece.
However till mid fifties, there were some greeks who use to called
themselves "romans" in order to emphasize their cultural particularity through the time, mostly against a certain sense of ottoman rulers' superiority.
1d
Reply
Edited
Tim Williams
Outlasted Rome bus 1000 years
1d
Reply
Veysi Budak
Share new pics u moron ,now these wall standing with all
magnificent,just share new photos of wall and stop to be moron
1d
Reply
Michael James Sherman
'No longer the impenetrable barrier by the 1950s'?? They were penetrated
in the 1450s mate.
1d
Reply
Quân Lê
  ·
Can anyone name any fancy structure which was built in Anatolia after
the invasion of Ottoman? I can’t.
23h
Reply
Abraam Papadopoulos
I love Byzantium
19h
Reply
Doug Futers
2012, I walked from Sea of Marmaris to the Golden Horn, along the wall
1d
Reply
John Nano
Amazing
1d
Reply
Harold Jeffers
Thanks for this old Pic, have not previously seen a B&W photo of this
area of the western Land Walls w the Modern Highway, ... 1940’s or 50’s ? 1d
Reply
Chris Greyshade
Comstantinople
17h
Reply
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