CONSTANTINOPLE AND THE EASTERN EMPIREby Synesius, who visited Constantinople sometime during these years as an
envoy from Cyrene, and stayed for three years.^13 Thus religious issues were
mixed in Constantinople, with politics surrounding the reliance on eunuchs
in the administration, rivalry between the western and eastern courts and the
danger of relying on German soldiery. This was a crisis time for Constanti-
nople.
By the reign of Justinian in the sixth century, the population of Constan-
tinople had reached its greatest extent, and may on a generous estimate have
approached half a million. So large a number of inhabitants could only be
supported by public intervention, and Constantine had instituted an elaborate
system of food distribution based on that at Rome.^14 It was from the late
fourth century onwards that much of the expansion took place – something
of its scale can be imagined from the fact that the original number of recipients
of the grain dole was set at only 80,000. The Notitia urbis Constantinopolitanae
(c. 425–30) lists 14 churches, 52 colonnaded streets, 153 private bath com-
plexes and several cisterns. The aqueduct constructed in 373 by the Emperor
Valens provided further essential water supply, and water was carried to the
city from multiple sources in the Thracian hinterland; new harbours were also
necessary.^15 The walls built in the reign of Theodosius II in the early fi fth cen-
tury, and still standing in large part today, though heavily restored, enclosed
a much larger area than that of the original Constantinian circuit, and though
Constantinople did not equal Rome in population size, even at its height, it
nevertheless provides a remarkable example of urban growth.
Pagan critics of Constantine, such as Zosimus, were highly critical of his
foundation:
the size of Constantinople was increased until it was by far the greatest
city, with the result that many of the succeeding emperors chose to live
there, and attracted an unnecessarily large population which came from
all over the world – soldiers and offi cials, traders and other professions.
Therefore, they have surrounded it with new walls much more extensive
than those of Constantine and allowed the buildings to be so close to each
other that the inhabitants, whether at home or in the streets are crowded
for room and it is dangerous to walk about because of the great number
of men and beasts. And a lot of the sea round about has been turned into
land by sinking piles and building houses on them, which by themselves
are enough to fi ll a large city.
(New History II.35, trans. Ridley)Of course the city failed to live up to modern standards of urban planning,
but the description vividly brings out both the extent of public investment
and the consequent hectic growth. The heart of the city had been planned
by Constantine himself – it included the imperial palace (greatly extended
by later emperors), the adjoining Hippodrome and the Augusteum, a great
square leading to the church of St Sophia, a main processional street (the