Vaison-la-Romaine, France
0-100 BC
Vaison-la-Romaine, France
0-100 AD
Vienne, France
40-50 AD
Aosta, Italy
25 BC
Mérida, Spain
2nd century AD
Aswan, Egypt
30 BCE
León, Spain
200-300 AD
Vienne, France
27 BC
La Turbie, France
6 BC
Syracuse, Italy
1st century AD
Poreč, Croatia
0-100 AD
Milan, Italy
2nd century AD
Córdoba, Spain
0-100 AD
Pozzuoli, Italy
1st century AD
Rome, Italy
309 AD
Rome, Italy
272 BCE
Pula, Croatia
100-0 BCE
Vaison-la-Romaine, France
20 AD
Solin, Croatia
2nd century AD
Durrës, Albania
2nd century AD
The Walls of Constantinople are a series of defensive stone walls that have surrounded and protected the city of Constantinople (today Istanbul) since its founding as the new capital of the Roman Empire by Constantine the Great. With numerous additions and modifications during their history, they were the last great fortification system of antiquity, and one of the most complex and elaborate systems ever built. They were also the largest and strongest fortification in both the ancient and medieval world.
Initially built by Constantine the Great, the walls surrounded the new city on all sides, protecting it against attack from both sea and land. As the city grew, the famous double line of the Theodosian Walls was built in the 5th century. Although the other sections of the walls were less elaborate, they were, when well-manned, almost impregnable for any medieval besieger.