Martinsburg statesman-democrat. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1906-1921, 1912-11-22
CONSTANT|NOPLE
ANCIENT CITY Of
THE DORIAN GREEKS
The Turkish Capital Around Which
All the Fighting Now
Centers.


Constantinople is bult on the site
of Byzantium, that ancient metropo-
lis of the Dorian Greeks, which was
founded by them during the sixth
century before Christ. 1t became at
once a typical city of the highest
Greek civilization in the beauty of its
architecture and its streets. In add
| ton It rose TO the supreme CONNER
cial power of the Hellenic world be-
cause of its advantageous position.
Even now, there may be seen in
STEAMBOAT, that portion of CONSTANT
nople which was the actual site of
the ancient Greek city, remains of
walls and other works of masonry
built by the Greeks
From the very beginning Byzantium
1 was coveted by every race and nation
! within striking distance, and the city
was constantly hard pressed. After
centuries of desperate fighting to
maintain it's independence Byzantium
/ finally fell into the hands of Severns.
! But this conqueror and his descen-
dents ruled the city in a wretched
manner, Civic pride languished, the
government rapidly grew from bad to
worre and finally in the year 324 A.
d. the oity surrendered to Constan-
! tine, the first Christian Roman EN-
peror.
Captivated by the city and its beau
/ tiful surroundings Constantine at once
adopted it as his capital, giving it the
name of New Rome and dedicating
it "to the service of Christ"
But the world at large had chirsten-
ed the city in honor of it's conqueror
and it has born that name ever since.
! 1t was Constantine's ambition to
be known as the founder of the city.
And to that end he instituted elabor
ate ceremonials. Marching at the
/ head of a vast procession he walked
over the hills which were then the
environs of the city, marked the
boundaries and laid an elaborate foun-
/ dation for future growth.
! Then he set great armies of men
to work, building and identifying the
city. He spent vast sums of money
in erecting palaces, churches, aque-
ducts and theatres.
The most notable church he built
was San Sofia. But this church was
burned 1t was rebuilt later by Theo-
dosius, and was again destroyed
| Then Justinian, on the same site built
a temple which was a far more splen-
| did editice than the other two.
| This is the famous San Soufia which
| stands today. But there have been so
many additions built onto it that the
original outlines of the temple are
entirely lost.
/ San Sofia was sixteen years in
building and its dedication lasted
fourteen days, beginning on Christmas
Day 54S.
I All nations had contributed to It's
I costly and magnificent investiture
The rarest jewels, marbles, mosaics
mealas and worries, in fact all the
/ rarest treasures possessed by all the
| nations, were used for the adornment
/ of San Sofia
| 1t was here that all the great
events in the lives of the Christian
emperors We're celebrated, and it is
said that the Crusaders. whenever
they met in this temple, were so over
come by the grandeur of their sur
roundings, they would lay aside their
ifferences and go forth in harmony
and good will.
/ Here also were stored many of the
/ precious volumes which kept alive
the Pickering light of learning
throughout the medieval period of
mental darkness, and which finally
burst out into an intellectual awak-
ening known as the Renaissance.
For centuries Constantinople re-
tanned her supremacy in the CONNER
cial world. But as she grew in wealth
and splendor, fetes and festivals like
those of the old barbaric Romans, be-
came the order of the day. The city
succumbed to the sway of its volup-
tuaries. In the meantime it was being
constantly beset by its enemies, the
Saracens and the Bulgars. About this
time, the latter part of the 10th cen
ury, the Turks began TO cast his
sinister shadow across the Bosporus.
He had been gradually stealing in
from the East, from beyond the Cas-
plan and the plains of Kkorsasan.
He had established himself in Asia
Minor with the longer spear and the
scimitar His soul object was the let
took precedence with him over every
consideration of government, law and
domestic economy
The Turks had secured possession
of all the territory adjacent to Con-
stantinople. They had destroyed the
city of Ephesus and wiped the BY
zantium empire off the map. Then
they began to levy tribute on Con-
stantinople.
The first concession the cross made
to the crescent was in 1347 when the
1t 10, IN,