Le perdite beltate de Byzantio

(Languages of this post: Interlingua, English)

Un ecclesia stupende, un princessa fascinante, e un poema scribite in Byzantio in le sexte seculo es le componentes de un historia interessantissime de exploration archeologic presentate pro le prime vice per le professor Martin Harrison del Universitate de Oxford.

In 1964 le autoritates turc invitava Harrison a excavar le sito de un magnific ecclesia byzantin in le corde de Istanbul que un gruppo de obreros habeva discoperite per accidente quatro annos previe.

Un poema grec del sexte seculo, cognite solmente per un sol manuscripto in le Universitate Heidelberg, face le elogio de un ecclesia spectacular de ille epocha e de un remarcabile princessa byzantin, Anicia Juliana, cuje ricchessas pagava le costo del construction de iste ecclesia magnific. Duo bloccos de marmore (que obviemente formava parte del ecclesia, como Harrison ha demonstrate) portava quaranta un del versos de iste poema in litteras in relievo de marmore, alte de circa dece un centimetros.

Durante le excavationes, Harrison e su collegas turc poteva reconstruer satis ben le plano e le decoration del edificio pro demonstrar que le elogios extravagante del poema esseva completemente justificate.

In un libro sumptuosemente illustrate, con le titulo "A Temple for Byzantium", publicate per Harvey Miller, le professor Harrison revela le splendor del muros revestite per tabulas de marmore in colores exotic importate ab omne le territorios mediterranee. Le excavatores esseva stupefacite de vider le "novellitate, varietate abundante, e le excelentissime qualitate technic" del sculpture que, Harrison dice, esseva "completemente inexpectate".

Le fideles recitava lor orationes inter columnas incrustate per amethysto, e sub un collection exuberante de sculpturas colorate de pavones, vites, e palmas. Harrison trovava tracias de pigmento blau clar sur alicunes del sculpturas. Ille dice que "on pote ben imaginar altere colores inclusive de auro".

Ma le characteristica le plus theatral del ecclesia se revela in le poema, que in un parte dice que Juliana "ha conquirite le tempore e ha superate le sagessa de Salomon mesme."

Le professor Harrison explica que iste comparation inter Juliana e le rege biblic Salomon esseva probabilemente "nulle pretension vacue". Le complimento le plus famose de Salomon esseva le construction de un nove templo in Jerusalem, cuje grandor, secundo le Biblia, esseva cento cubitos quadrate.

"Si nos tene conto del possibilitate de error o del subsidentia del edificio," dice Harrison, "le dimensiones del ecclesia de Juliana, que ha un area de inter 51 (cinquanta un) e 52 (cinquanta duo) metros quadrate, es le equivalente precise del templo de Salomon."

Le luxo sumptuose del ecclesia de Juliana anque ha revelate su ambitiones politic. Un figura ben cognite in le historia, illa esseva le granfilia del imperator Valentiano III, un del ultime soveranos del imperio roman del occidente, e le filio de illa esseva eligibile a occupar le throno de Byzantio, le imperio roman del oriente, in le anno 510 p.Chr.

Le professor Harrison vide le ecclesia de Juliana, que esseva un monumento plus magnific que omne altere ecclesias de Constantinopole, como un defia contra le imperator Justino. In multe respectos, le familia de Juliana habeva pretensiones plus forte e plus legitime al throno que Justino. Con su decoration impressionante, le ecclesia que illa faceva construer pare esser un assertion deliberate de su ambitiones dynastic--non pro se mesme, nam le byzantinos de su epocha non tolerava conceder le autoritate supreme a un imperatrice, ma pro su infantes.

In despecto del pretensiones de Juliana, su ecclesia, como le templo de Salomon, non esseva destinate a resister con successo le passage del tempore. Le excavationes de Harrison monstra que ante le anno 1100 illo esseva foras de uso como edificio ecclesiastic, ma serviva solo como habitation pro personas sin focar.

Ma un del resultatos plus extraordinari del excavation esseva le identification de fragmentos del edificio in locos tanto distante de illo como Venetia e Barcelona. Il pare que le cavalieros del quarte cruciada, qui, scandalosemente, saccheava Constantinopole in 1204, esseva tanto impressionate con le decoration del ecclesia de Juliana que illes portava via pecias de illo quando illes retornava a Europa occidental.

Le butino le plus spectacular ha devenite un parte multo significante del centro del Venetia moderne: Durante plure seculos duo columnas de marmore, delicatissimemente sculpite, ha essite admirate per touristas in le Piazza di San Marco. Harrison trovava un fragmento de un tertie columna identic in su excavationes, lo que provava que le duo columnas in Venetia proveniva de Istanbul e non de Palestina, como credeva historicos previe.

Per le evolution ironic del historia, il esseva le nepote e successor del nonaristocratic Justino, le imperator Justiniano, qui esseva destinate a facer construer le grande ecclesia del Sancte Sophia, cuje cupola, que pare defiar le fortia de gravitation, domina ancora le edificios de Istanbul. Harrison crede que le ecclesia de Justiniano esseva un tentativa--que finalmente succedeva--a eclipsar le ecclesia rival de Juliana. Al completion de illo, on dice que le imperator proclamava: "Salomon, io ha superate vos." Le decano del scholares byzantin, Sir Steven Runciman, explica que Juliana pare esser le "Salomon" a que ille pensava.

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A stupendous church, a fascinating princess, and a poem written in Byzantium in the sixth century are the components of a very interesting history of archeological exploration presented for the first time by Prof. Martin Harrison of Oxford University.

In 1964 the Turkish authorities sent Harrison out to excavate the site of a magnificent Byzantine church in the heart of Istanbul that a group of laborers had discovered by accident four years previously.

A Greek poem from the sixth century, known only through a single manuscript at Heidelberg University, praises a spectacular church of that esseva as well as a remarkable Byzantine princess, Ancia Juliana, whose wealth paid for the cost of construction of this magnificent church. Two marble blocks (which obviously formed part of the church, as Harrison has shown) were surfaced with inscriptions of forty-one of the verses of this poem in letters carved in marble about eleven centimeters high.

During the excavations. Harrison and his Turkish colleagues were able to reconstruct fairly well the plan and the decoration of the building to demonstrate that the extravagant praise in the poem was completely justified.

In a sumptuously illustrated book, titled "A Temple for Byzantium," published by Harvey Mille, Prof. Harrison reveals the splendor of the walls lined with marble in exotic colors imported from all the territories of the Mediterranean. The excavators were stupefied to see the "novelty, abundant variety, and the excellent technical quality" of the sculpture which, Harrison says, was "completely unexpected."

The faithful recited their prayers among columns incrusted with amethyst and under an exuberant collection of colored sculptures of peacocks, grapevines, and palm trees. Harrison found traces of light blue pigment on some of the sculptures. He says that "it is quite possible to imagine other colors, including gold."

But the most theatrical characteristic of the church is revealed in the poem, that in one part says that Juliana "has conquered time and gone beyond the wisdom of Solomon himself."

Prof. Harrison explains that this comparison between Juliana and the Biblical king Solomon was probably "no empty pretense." The most famous accomplishment of Solomon was the construction of a new temple in Jerusalem, whose size, according to the Bible, was 100 (one hundred) cubic cubits.

"If we keep in mind the possibility of error or of the settling of the building," Harrison says, "the dimensions of Juliana's church, which has an area between 51 (fifty-one) and 52 (fifty-two) square meters, is the precise equivalent of Solomon's temple.

The sumptuous luxury of Juliana's church has also revealed her political ambitions. A well-known figure in history, she was the granddaughter of the emperor Valentian III, one of the last sovereigns of the Western Roman Empire, and her son was eligible to occupy the throne of Byzantium, the Roman empire of the orient, in the year 510 A.D.

Prof. Harrison sees Juliana's church, which was a more magnificent monument than all the other churches of Constantinople, as a challenge against the the emperor Justin. In many respects, Juliana's family had stronger and more legitimate pretensions to the throne than Justin. With its impressive decoration, the church that she had built seems to be a deliberate assertion of her dynastic ambitions--not for her herself, for the Byzantines of her esseva did not allow supreme power to be conceded to an empress, but for her children.

Despite the Juliana's pretensions, her church, like the temple of Solomon, was not destined to successfully resist the passage of time. Harrison's excavations show that before the year 1100 (eleven hundred) it was unused as an ecclesiastical building but served only as a place to house the homeless.

But one of the most extraordinary results of the excavation was the identification of fragments of the building in places as distant from it as Venice and Barcelona. It seems that the knights of the fourth crusade, who, scandalously, sacked Constantinopole in 1204 (twelve oh four), were so impressed with the decoration of Juliana's church that they took away pieces of it when they returned to western Europe.

The most spectacular plunder has become a very significant part of modern Venice: For several centuries two marble columns, very delicately carved, have been admired by tourists in the Piazza di San Marco. Harrison found a fragment of a third identical column in his excavations, which proved that the two columns in Venice came from Istanbul and not from Palestine as previous historians had believed.

In an irony of history, it was the nephew and successor of the nonaristrocatic Justin, the emperor Justinian, who was destined to build the great church of Saint Sophia, whose cupola, which seems to defy the force of gravity, dominates even now the buildings of Istanbul. Harrison believes that Justinian's church was an attempt--which finally succeeded--to eclipse the rival church of Juliana. At its completion it is said that the emperor proclaimed, "Solomon, I have finally outdone you." The dean of the Byzantine scholars, Sir Steven Runciman, explains that Juliana seems to be the "Solomon" that he was thinking of.