Column of Arcadius Monument

Address: Historic Istanbul area (near Forum of Theodosius), Istanbul, Turkey

The Column of Arcadius was a monumental victory column erected in Constantinople in the early 5th century to commemorate the reign of Emperor Arcadius. It was originally decorated with spiral reliefs and topped by a statue, forming a prominent civic monument in the late Roman capital.

Most of the column has not survived intact and only fragmentary remains and references survive in the historic peninsula of present-day Istanbul. What can be seen today are partial foundations and reused fragments incorporated into the later urban fabric, so the monument is primarily of archaeological and historical interest rather than a standing shaft.

The column stood within the built-up ceremonial areas of late antique Constantinople and later became obscured by medieval and Ottoman-period construction and urban change.

Remains and documentary references place the column on the historic peninsula of Istanbul, in the area of the late Roman and Byzantine public fora.

The fragments lie in Istanbul’s historic peninsula, near the former forum area-reachable on foot from Sultanahmet or by tram to the Laleli-Üniversite or Sultanahmet stops depending on exact location. Central and walkable from many major sites.

• The Column of Arcadius is an archaeological fragment-bring a good guidebook to map the vanished colonnade onto the modern city.
• Visit the surrounding Forum of Theodosianum and Sergius and Bacchus sites to see surviving fragments of late Roman Constantinople.
• Avoid midday heat; much of the site is exposed with minimal shade.