Porphyrius the Charioteer

This book about Porphyrius was published by Oxford University Press in 1973. A sequel - Circus Factions: Blues and Greens at Rome and Constantinople - was published by the same publisher in 1976. Both volumes were reprinted by Sandpiper Books in 1999.

Both volumes are written by the British scholar Alan Cameron, who was born in 1938. At the end of the 1970s, he moved to the US. For many years he was Professor of Latin Language and Literature at Columbia University of New York. I think he retired in 2008, but he is still active: a new book The Last Pagans of Rome was published by Oxford University Press in 2010 (2011 in the UK).

Porphyrius the Charioteer is an academic work. All quotes are given in the original language - ancient Greek, Latin, French or German - and most of them are not translated into English. Some discussions are rather technical, while others focus on the correct interpretation of an ancient Greek word or phrase.

Therefore this book is not recommended for the beginner. If, on the other hand, you are already familiar with Roman and Byzantine history, and you want to learn more, then this could be just the right book for you. When you read it, you will get a chance to see a meticulous and thorough scholar at work; and sometimes his work is quite impressive.

According to Cameron, there were (at least) eleven statues of different charioteers placed on the spina of the hippodrome in Constantinople. The statues were made of metal, usually bronze. They were placed on a stone base which was decorated by reliefs and inscriptions in Greek on all four sides. Cameron is able to tell us: (a) the name of the charioteer, (b) the location of his statue, (c) the name of the faction which erected it, and - in some cases – (d) the date when they were erected.

Why is this impressive? (1) Because all the statues have vanished. They were melted down during or after the sack of Constantinople in 1204 (also known as the fourth crusade). (2) Because all the bases have disappeared as well, except two: the first was discovered in 1847 (it is known as the old base); the second in 1963 (it is known as the new base). In antiquity, both of them supported statues of Porphyrius.

How can Cameron do this? The answer is he combines the archaeological objects, i.e. the bases, with ancient literary texts, primarily the Greek Anthology, where inscriptions from several bases are preserved (chapter III).

The illustrations at the end of the book include pictures of all four sides of both bases. Unfortunately, the picture are in black-and-white, and they are a bit dark, so the quality is not as high as it could and should be. Moreover, each picture should have been printed on a fold-out page (face up), so the reader could look at a particular motive (e.g. a relief or an inscription) while reading about it in the text (chapters I and II).

A charioteer would drive for one of the four factions: Blue, Green, White or Red. In most cases a statue would not be erected until the driver retired or died. But this rule did not apply to Porphyrius: there were no less than seven statues of him, three from the Greens and four from the Blues. Moreover, four of them were erected while he was still young, and all of them were erected while he was still alive.

Clearly, this man was an extremely popular figure. Here is a brief outline of his life (all dates are approximate - except two which are exact: 507 and 515):

Porphyrius, also known as Calliopas, was born in Libya in 480. The name of his father was Chalcas. In 507 he was involved in an attack on a Jewish synagogue in Antioch (apparently, this fact did not damage his career or popularity). In 515 he helped suppress Vitalian’s rebellion against the emperor Anastasius. He was a charioteer for more than forty years (500-540). We do not know when he retired or when he died, but we do know that he lived to be more than 60. Perhaps he retired in 550 and perhaps he died in 560 (chapter V).

The other charioteers identified by Cameron are Julian, Uranius, Faustinus, and Constantine (son of Faustinus). The statue of Julian was erected by the Reds, while the other three were erected by the Greens (chapter IV).

The location of the statues on the spina is shown on fig. 2 (page 182):

 

The left side of the drawing (Carceres) is the northeast end of the hippodrome.

The right side (Sphendone) is the southwest end of the hippodrome.

For more information about the Roman circus or hippodrome, please turn to Roman Circuses: Arenas for Chariot Racing by John Humphrey.

For more information about the chariot games in the Roman Empire, please turn to Chariot Racing in the Roman Empire by Fik Meijer.

Cameron knows his topic better than most. There are no obvious mistakes here (except one unfortunate suggestion about the shape of the spina (on page 184), which he withdraws in the sequel, Circus Factions: Blues and Greens at Rome and Constantinople, page 348).

Proofreading is a serious matter at Oxford University Press. There are no obvious misprints here, but I have to mention that a cross reference on page 159 is blank: “(pp.   ).” I think the correct reference is to pp. 206ff.

Walter Christopher reviewed this book in Revue des Etudes Byzantines, vol. 32, 1974, pp. 409-410. He describes the book as a “meticulous study” and concludes with the following words:

 

“Cameron’s book is evidently a valuable contribution both to the study of the Greek Anthology and to the study of the hippodrome.”

On page 258 Cameron sums up his work and explains the significance of his topic:

“The monuments of Porphyrius … represent a new stage in the fame of its heroes at the peak of its golden age. The monuments themselves were of a size and splendour never seen before – and never to be seen again.”

As stated earlier, this is an academic work. It is not an easy read. But if you persevere, you will learn a lot – not only about Porphyrius the charioteer, but also about the world in which he lived.

 

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Alan Cameron,

Porphyrius the Charioteer,

Oxford University Press, 1973,

Reprinted by Sandpiper Books, 1999,

286 pages plus 16 pages with 31 illustrations

 

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The Egyptian obelisk also known as the obelisk of Theodosius.

The obelisk was commissioned by the Egyptian Pharaoh Thutmoses III (1479-1425 BC) and raised at the Karnak Temple complex. Around AD 350 it was moved from Karnak to Alexandria on the order of Constantius II. Later, it was moved to Constantinople on the order of Theodosius I and erected on the spina of the hippodrome in AD 390.

Detail of the Egyptian obelisk.

 

Detail of the Egyptian obelisk.

 

A stone block with information in Turkish and English.
The obelisk of Theodosius was erected in AD 390. 

 

The Roman base of the Egyptian obelisk.
The emperor and his family are seated in the imperial box (kathisma).
This motive is illustration # 21 in Cameron's book: The Left Face = B2.

The Roman base of the Egyptian obelisk.
Barbarians supplicate the emperor with offerings.
This motive is illustration # 20 in Cameron's book: The Back side = B1.

The Roman base of the Egyptian obelisk.
The emperor and his family are seated in the imperial box (kathisma).
This motive is illustration # 22 in Cameron's book: The Right Face = A2.

The Roman base of the Egyptian obelisk.
Dancers and musicians celebrate the emperor's victory.
This motive is illustration # 19 in Cameron's book: The Front = A1.

A close-up on the emperor in the imperial box (kathisma).
In his hand the emperor is holding the victor's crown,
which he will present to the winner of the race.

The Serpent Column also known as the Delphi Tripod.
This picture shows the lower section of the monument.

The Serpent Column was constructed to commemorate the Greeks who fought and defeated the forces of the Persian Empire in the battle of Plataea in 479 BC. It was erected in Delphi and dedicated to Apollo in 478 BC. In AD 324 it was moved to Byzantium on the order of Constantine I. Six years later the city was renamed Constantinople. The monument consists of three serpents twisted into one pillar. Their heads once supported a tripod, which is now gone. The triple heads were broken off around 1700.

In the foreground to the right the upper section of the Serpent Column.
In the background to the left the obelisk of Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus.

A stone block with information in Turlish and English.
The Serpent Column was erected in the fourth century AD.

The obelisk of Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus
also known as the composite or the the walled obelisk.
On the left you can see the upper section of the Serpent Column.

Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus was born in 903.
He was emperor of the Byzantine Empire 945-959.

A stone block with information in Turkish and English.
The Column of Constantine Porphyrogenitus was erected in the tenth century AD.

The obelisk was covered with gilded bronze plates, which were stolen
during the sack of Constantinople in 1204, also known as the Fourth Crusade.
This act of vandalism exposed the rough core, which was never meant to be seen.

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