Serpent Column in Sultanahmet

 The head of one of the 3 snakes of the serpent column in Sultanahmet Hippodrome has been exhibited in the Istanbul Archeology Museum for years. The other 2 heads have been missing for years. 31 Greek cities that defeated the Persians in the Battle of Platea in 479 BC had this work built by melting the bronze loot they obtained in the war and erected it in front of the temple of Apollo in Delphi. The three-headed snake was last seen in 1699. The column was brought to Constantinapolis by Constantine the Great in the 4th century AD. One of the lost snake heads was found by the architect Fossati in 1848 and has been on display at the Istanbul Archeology Museum for years.




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