Forum Bovis
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The Forum of the Ox ( la, Forum Bovis, gr, ὁ Bοῦς, meaning "the Ox") was a public square ( la,
Forum Forum or The Forum (plural forums or fora) may refer to: Common uses * Forum (legal), designated space for public expression in the United States *Forum (Roman), open public space within a Roman city **Roman Forum, most famous example *Internet ...
) in the city of
Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya ( Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis ( ...
(today's
Istanbul ) , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = 34000 to 34990 , area_code = +90 212 (European side) +90 216 (Asian side) , registration_plate = 34 , blank_name_sec2 = GeoTLD , blank_i ...
). Used also a place for public executions and torture, it disappeared completely after the end of the
Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...
.


Location

The Forum lay along the southern branch of the Mese Odós (the main street of the city), in the valley of the Lycus creek, between the seventh and the third hills of Constantinople. Administratively, it was included in the eleventh ''Regio'' of the city, and its site is today located in the neighborhood of
Aksaray Aksaray (, Koine Greek: Ἀρχελαΐς ''Arhelays'', Medieval Greek: Κολώνεια ''Koloneya'', Ancient Greek: Γαρσάουρα ''Garsaura'') is a city in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey and the capital of Aksaray Province. In 202 ...
.


History

This square was possibly part of
Constantine the Great Constantine I ( , ; la, Flavius Valerius Constantinus, ; ; 27 February 22 May 337), also known as Constantine the Great, was Roman emperor from AD 306 to 337, the first one to convert to Christianity. Born in Naissus, Dacia Mediterran ...
's original city plan design; Müller-Wiener (1977), p. 253 like the other fora of Constantinople, it was certainly built sometime in the 4th century. The name of the square originated from a large, hollow bronze statue representing the head of an ox. Janin (1964), p. 69 The statue, brought to Constantinople from
Pergamum Pergamon or Pergamum ( or ; grc-gre, Πέργαμον), also referred to by its modern Greek form Pergamos (), was a rich and powerful ancient Greek city in Mysia. It is located from the modern coastline of the Aegean Sea on a promontory on th ...
in
Asia Minor Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The re ...
, was used both as a
furnace A furnace is a structure in which heat is produced with the help of combustion. Furnace may also refer to: Appliances Buildings * Furnace (central heating): a furnace , or a heater or boiler , used to generate heat for buildings * Boiler, used t ...
and a device implementing the brazen bull torture: people were closed inside the ox, which then was heated until they suffocated and burned. During the first
persecution of Christians The persecution of Christians can be historically traced from the first century of the Christian era to the present day. Christian missionaries and converts to Christianity have both been targeted for persecution, sometimes to the point of ...
in Asia Minor under
Emperor An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...
Domitian Domitian (; la, Domitianus; 24 October 51 – 18 September 96) was a Roman emperor who reigned from 81 to 96. The son of Vespasian and the younger brother of Titus, his two predecessors on the throne, he was the last member of the Fl ...
(r. 81–96) the Ox, still in Pergamum, was used to execute Saint Antipas. According to the '' Patrologia Latina'', in the reign of Julian the Apostate (r. 361–363) many Christians were burned inside the Bull, at that time already moved to Constantinople. Janin (1964), p. 70 In 562 the Forum, at that time surrounded by warehouses and workshops, burned down. The body of the usurper
Phocas Phocas ( la, Focas; grc-gre, Φωκάς, Phōkás; 5475 October 610) was Eastern Roman emperor from 602 to 610. Initially, a middle-ranking officer in the Eastern Roman army, Phocas rose to prominence as a spokesman for dissatisfied soldiers ...
(r. 602–610) was also incinerated in the ox's head following his deposition. According to some sources,
Emperor An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...
Heraclius (r. 610–641) melted the statue to mint coins needed to pay his army for his war against the Persians. However, this is not certain since executions using the Ox continue to be attested after Heraclius's reign, for example, when
Justinian II Justinian II ( la, Iustinianus; gr, Ἰουστινιανός, Ioustinianós; 668/69 – 4 November 711), nicknamed "the Slit-Nosed" ( la, Rhinotmetus; gr, ὁ Ῥινότμητος, ho Rhinótmētos), was the last Eastern Roman emperor of the ...
(r.685-695; 705-711) let burn in the Ox the two Patricians Theodoros and Stephanos, both involved in a failed plot against him. The same Emperor enlarged and adorned the square. Mamboury (1953), p. 74 During the
Byzantine Iconoclasm The Byzantine Iconoclasm ( gr, Εικονομαχία, Eikonomachía, lit=image struggle', 'war on icons) were two periods in the history of the Byzantine Empire when the use of religious images or icons was opposed by religious and imperial a ...
, Saint Theodosia (d. 729) and Saint Andrew of Crete (d. 766), both defenders of icon veneration, were executed in the square. The former was executed by having a ram's horn hammered through her neck.Van Millingen (1912), p. 168


Architecture

We know the position of the Forum Bovis thanks to the work '' De Ceremoniis'', written by Emperor Constantine VII
Porphyrogenitus Traditionally, born in the purple (sometimes "born to the purple") was a category of members of royal families born during the reign of their parent. This notion was later loosely expanded to include all children born of prominent or high-ranking ...
(r. 913–959). He writes that the two imperial processions starting from the Great Palace and directed each year respectively to the Churches of Saint Mary of the Spring and Saint Mocius transited through the square. Based on this information, the Forum should be located in the modern neighborhood of
Aksaray Aksaray (, Koine Greek: Ἀρχελαΐς ''Arhelays'', Medieval Greek: Κολώνεια ''Koloneya'', Ancient Greek: Γαρσάουρα ''Garsaura'') is a city in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey and the capital of Aksaray Province. In 202 ...
. The Forum had a rectangular plan with sides 250 m and 300 m long. According to one source, in the 1950s its shape was still recognizable as an empty space limited to the north by 7-8 meters high terraces. According to others, the square should be located south-southeast of the Ottoman Murat Pasha Mosque. In the Byzantine Age, the square was surrounded by porticoes adorned with
bas-relief Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces are bonded to a solid background of the same material. The term '' relief'' is from the Latin verb ''relevo'', to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that th ...
s and
niche Niche may refer to: Science *Developmental niche, a concept for understanding the cultural context of child development *Ecological niche, a term describing the relational position of an organism's species *Niche differentiation, in ecology, the ...
s with statues. Particularly noteworthy among them was a group representing Constantine the Great and his mother Helena holding their hands on a gold plated silver cross, a composition that became very popular in
Byzantine art Byzantine art comprises the body of Christian Greek artistic products of the Eastern Roman Empire, as well as the nations and states that inherited culturally from the empire. Though the empire itself emerged from the decline of Rome and lasted u ...
. Near the Forum lay also the ''Palace of Eleutherios'' (named so since it lay in the Byzantine community of ''ta Eleutheriou'' and overlooked the harbour of the same name on the
Sea of Marmara The Sea of Marmara,; grc, Προποντίς, Προποντίδα, Propontís, Propontída also known as the Marmara Sea, is an inland sea located entirely within the borders of Turkey. It connects the Black Sea to the Aegean Sea via t ...
), built by Empress
Irene Irene is a name derived from εἰρήνη (eirēnē), the Greek for "peace". Irene, and related names, may refer to: * Irene (given name) Places * Irene, Gauteng, South Africa * Irene, South Dakota, United States * Irene, Texas, United Stat ...
(r. 775–797), and a bath erected under Theophilos (r. 813–842) by the Patrician Nicetas. The Forum Bovis was well connected with other important parts of the city: the Mese, heading east, connected the Forum with the
Forum Amastrianum The Amastrianum ( la, Amastriánum, ), also called Forum Amastrianum by modern authors, was a public square ( la, forum) in the city of Constantinople (today's Istanbul). Used also as place for public mutilations and executions, it disappeared c ...
and the
Forum Tauri The Forum of Theodosius ( el, φόρος Θεοδοσίου, today Beyazıt Square) was probably the largest square in Constantinople and stood on the Mese, the major road that ran west from Hagia Sophia ( Turkish: Ayasofya). It was originally bu ...
. In the westerly direction, the same road started to climb the seventh hill, reaching than the
Forum of Arcadius The Forum of Arcadius ( la, Forum Arcadii, el, ), was built by the Emperor Arcadius in the city of Constantinople, now Istanbul. Built in 403, it was built in the Xerolophos area and was the last forum before reaching the Constantinian city ...
and the plateau of Xeropholos. Finally, the Mese crossed the
Theodosian Walls The Walls of Constantinople ( el, Τείχη της Κωνσταντινουπόλεως) are a series of defensive stone walls that have surrounded and protected the city of Constantinople (today Istanbul in Turkey) since its founding as the ...
at the
Golden Gate The Golden Gate is a strait on the west coast of North America that connects San Francisco Bay to the Pacific Ocean. It is defined by the headlands of the San Francisco Peninsula and the Marin Peninsula, and, since 1937, has been spanned by t ...
. This part of the road corresponds to the modern Istanbul roads ''Çerrahpaşa Caddesi'' and ''Kocamustafapaşa Caddesi''. Two other paths connected the square with the gates of St. Romanus (modern Topkapı) and Pege (modern Silivri kapı). The Forum's location has not yet been excavated. The quarter where the Forum lay was never hit by the large fires which ravaged Istanbul in the 19th and 20th century. Müller-Wiener (1977), p. 254 In 1956, during the works for the construction of ''Millet'' and ''Vatan Caddesi'', the two large roads which cross historic Istanbul, two
pillar A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. In other words, a column is a compression member. ...
s two meters high and having a base 3 m x 4 m wide were found outside the south wall of the Murat Pasha Mosque. These pillars, possibly belonging to a
triumphal Arch A triumphal arch is a free-standing monumental structure in the shape of an archway with one or more arched passageways, often designed to span a road. In its simplest form a triumphal arch consists of two massive piers connected by an arch, cro ...
, were most probably part of the Forum. Moreover, single constructive elements were also found
in situ ''In situ'' (; often not italicized in English) is a Latin phrase that translates literally to "on site" or "in position." It can mean "locally", "on site", "on the premises", or "in place" to describe where an event takes place and is used in ...
during these excavations. In 1968-71, during the roadworks to build the Aksaray road interchange southeast of the
Pertevniyal Valide Sultan Mosque The Pertevniyal Valide Sultan Mosque, also known as the Aksaray Valide Mosque ( tr, Pertevniyal Valide Sultan Camii, Aksaray Valide Sultan Camii), is a grand Ottoman imperial mosque in Istanbul, Turkey. It is located at the intersection of Ordu St ...
, no remains of the square have been found.


References


Sources

* * * * {{coord, 41, 00, 36, N, 28, 57, 11, E, region:TR_type:landmark, display=title Fora of Constantinople