Written in 1851 – 1869, Skarlatos Byzantios three-volume masterpiece constitutes a feat of 19th c. scholarship, presented here for the first time in an annotated English translation. Drawing on Classical, Byzantine, Western European and Ottoman sources, Constantinople covers a vast period of over two and a half millennia, from the mythical foundation of Byzantium to Skarlatos own time. A true polyglot and a keen observer, Skarlatos guides the reader through the neighbourhoods, monuments and social practices of his native city, assisted by detailed references to major historical events, personalities and long-forgotten anecdotes. His scholarly interests span across an impressive array of disciplines: political and social history, literature, architecture, epigraphy, urban planning, demography, ethnography, art and folklore. Above all, Skarlatos is a self-avowed devotee of the City of cities.
1851-1869 tarihleri arasında kaleme alınan, Byzas’tan Tanzimat’a kadar İstanbul’u siyasi ve sosyal tarih, edebiyat, mimari, epigrafi, şehir planlaması, demografi, etnografya, sanat ve folklor gibi geniş bir yelpazedeki disiplinlerden beslenip Klasik Dönem eserleri, Bizans, Batı Avrupa ve Osmanlı kaynaklarından alıntılayarak anlatan Skarlatos Byzantios’un üç ciltlik başyapıtı Constantinople’un [Konstantinopolis] I. Cildi, yorumlu ve notlu İngilizce çevirisiyle ilk kez okuyucuyla buluşuyor.