Constantinople

/ˌkɑnstæntɪˈnoʊpəl/ noun

Definition

The city founded by Emperor Constantine I in 330 CE as the new eastern capital of the Roman Empire, built on the site of the ancient Greek city Byzantium (modern-day Istanbul).

Etymology

Named after Constantine I, combining his name with the Greek 'polis' (city), literally meaning 'city of Constantine.' The city was strategically renamed to honor the emperor who made it the 'New Rome.'

Kelly Says

Constantinople was history's ultimate strategic location—controlling the only water route between Europe and Asia, it became the world's wealthiest city for over a millennium. When it finally fell to the Ottomans in 1453, it marked not just the end of the Byzantine Empire, but the symbolic end of the ancient Roman world!

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