Serpent Column

The Serpent Column in Istanbul is a bronze monument that once stood at Delphi as a memorial to the Greek victory over the Persians in 479 BC. Cast from captured enemy weapons, it was brought to Constantinople by Emperor Constantine I and erected in the Hippodrome. Three intertwined serpents rose along its shaft, and its base contained 29 openwork recesses. The Byzantines used the column as a fountain, and the names of the participating Greek cities were inscribed on the bronze. Residents believed that the serpents protected the city from poison and disaster and that the magical power of their heads preserved order. One of the lost serpent heads is now kept in the Istanbul Archaeological Museums, while a bronze replica was installed at Delphi in 2015.

Many versions surround the fate of the serpent heads, and nobody knows exactly who removed them or when. Some blame a drunken Polish aristocrat, others mysterious forces or local vandals. The story has become shrouded in secrecy and mysticism, as though the column itself were guarding its secrets.