Sphendone Remains

The Sphendone remains are a massive series of stone vaults forming a curved, semicircular retaining wall. This structure once supported the southern end of the Hippodrome of Constantinople, an arena that served as the focal point of Byzantine political and social life for nearly nine hundred years. Because the natural terrain sloped sharply down toward the sea, these twenty-five vaulted chambers were engineered to create a level foundation for the track above, where chariots once rounded the bend in front of thousands of spectators.