The Lost Palace of Antiochos: Constantinople's Other Imperial Residence

When you think of Constantinople's imperial palaces, the Great Palace and the Bucoleon come to mind. But in the 5th century, a powerful praepositus sacri cubiculi named Antiochos built a spectacular palace complex near the Hippodrome — complete with a hexagonal audience hall, private baths, and sprawling gardens. This episode peels back the pavement of modern Istanbul to explore the Palace of Antiochos, its fate during the Nika Riots of 532, and how its ruins were rediscovered in the 20th century. We trace Antiochos's rise from a eunuch chamberlain under Theodosius II to one of the wealthiest men in the empire, only to see his palace stripped and partitioned after his fall from grace. Later, the site became the Church of St. Euphemia, a pilgrimage destination that survived iconoclasm and earthquakes before vanishing beneath the city. Drawing on archaeological digs, the Patria of Constantinople, and the Chronicle of Marcellinus Comes, we piece together a vanished world of marble floors, mosaic dolphins, and the quiet decline of a building that once symbolized ambition.

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