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Serpent Column

The Serpent Column is the surviving part of the famed Tripod of Plataea, a Greek offering made to Apollo at Delphi after the victory over the Persians at Plataea in 479 BC. It was originally a bronze column formed from the intertwined bodies of three serpents, supporting a golden tripod. The tripod’s gold was later confiscated and melted down during the Third Sacred War. The monument remained at Delphi until the reign of Constantine, who ordered its transfer to Constantinople for the hippodrome of his new capital. Over time, the column was damaged, and in 1700 the three serpent heads were lost. Today, the column still stands in Sultanahmet Square in Istanbul.

The Serpent Column with a weathered green patina stands inside a shallow red-walled enclosure near an ornate fence and public square.
The Serpent Column stands in a small enclosure, showing its weathered surface and twisted form.
August 2012 © · CC BY-SA 2.0
The Serpent Column stands in a stone-paved enclosure with a broken top and greenish-bronze patina.
The Serpent Column in Istanbul’s Sultanahmet district, shown within a small fenced stone enclosure.
October 2014 © · CC BY-SA 4.0
The Serpent Column stands in a sunken pit behind a decorative fence, with visitors gathered around it.
The Serpent Column rises from a sunken enclosure, with onlookers gathered around the ancient monument.
August 2012 © · CC BY 2.0
A section of the Serpent Column beside an ornate black wrought-iron fence, with a stone plaque block in the foreground.
A close view of the Serpent Column, partly framed by an iron fence and a stone plaque block at its base.
© · CC BY-SA 3.0
The Serpent Column standing tall against a clear blue sky.
The Serpent Column rises prominently in Istanbul, its weathered stone surface visible against the sky.
© · CC BY 3.0

Identification

TitleSerpent Column
Alternative namesLa Colonne serpentine; Kolumna Wężowa; Зміїна колона; Columna de las Serpientes; Colonna serpentina; Serpentine Column; Three-headed Serpent; Tripod of Delphi; Tripod of Plataea; Serpentine Column, Plataean Tripod; Colonne des serpents; Trikarenos Ophis (Τρικάρηνος Ὄφις / Τρικάρηνος Όφις)
TypeAncient bronze column monument

Historical context

Original monumentThe tripod of Plataea, or tripod of Delphi
OriginPart of a sacrificial tripod dedicated to Apollo at Delphi
Date of dedicationSpring of 478 BC
Historical contextCreated to commemorate the Greek victory over the Persians at the Battle of Plataea in 479 BC, as one of three dedications made by the Greek coalition after the battle
Commemorated eventThe Battle of Plataea and the victory of 31 Greek city-states over the Persian army
Offered byThe allied Greeks
Battle commander namesMardonius; Pausanias, Regent of Sparta

Creator

Associated deityApollo

Discovery and provenance

Original associated sanctuarySanctuary of Apollo at Delphi
Original baseStone base, described as an inverted Byzantine capital; the base of the column has been found
Construction material sourceAccording to Herodotus, cast from bronze weapons taken from the Persians
Original top elementA golden tripod or cauldron
Tripod fateThe gold from the tripod was confiscated and melted down by the Phocians during the Third Sacred War
Relocation to ConstantinopleMoved by order of Constantine the Great in 324 CE to Constantinople, to decorate the Hippodrome
Later display locationThe spina of the Hippodrome of Constantinople (now Sultanahmet Square, Istanbul, Turkey)
Current locationSultanahmet Square, Istanbul, Turkey
Original locationDelphi, at the sanctuary of Apollo beside the altar of Apollo

Physical characteristics

Column shaftBronze shaft composed of 29 coils formed by three intertwined serpents
Decorative formThree intertwined serpents whose heads originally supported the tripod
Current heightAbout 5 metres
Original heightAbout 8 metres

Materials

MaterialBronze
Upper element materialGold

Appearance

Base formBell-shaped base
Greek name meaning‘Three-headed serpent’
Turkish nameYılanlı Sütun ('Snake Column')
Turkish site nameAt Meydanı ('Horse Square')
Alternative site nameAtmeydanı ('horse square')
Original formA bronze column of three intertwined serpents, originally topped with a golden tripod
SymbolismSymbolized the Greek victory over the Persians at Plataea; a trophy or offering reminding of a military victory

Location and ownership

Interpretation of relocationIts placement in the Hippodrome may have suggested that Constantinople had become the new center of the world, replacing Delphi as the omphalos
Byzantine useUsed as a fountain in Byzantine times

History and restoration

Damage historyOver the centuries the column suffered various damages; one serpent head had its jaw broken off
Loss of headsAll three serpent heads were lost in 1700, with different accounts saying they fell or were destroyed
Reported date of head lossThe heads are reported by Silahdar Findiklili Mehmed Aga to have fallen on the night of 20 October 1700
Recovered fragmentA fragment of one serpent head, including the upper jaw, was found in 1848 by Gaspare Fossati during excavations near Hagia Sophia
Current fragment locationIstanbul Archaeological Museum
Serpent head statusTwo of the three serpent heads are missing; one fragmentary head survives in museum collections
Survival statusThe column still stands today

Significance

SignificanceOne of the very few artistic works that once adorned ancient Constantinople to have survived
Literary referencesMentioned by Herodotus, Thucydides, pseudo-Demosthenes, Diodorus Siculus, Pausanias, Cornelius Nepos, Plutarch, and later described by Edward Gibbon using Byzantine historians Zosimus, Eusebius of Caesarea, Socrates Scholasticus, and Sozomen
Ancient literary historyDescribed as having one of the longest literary histories of any surviving object from Greek and Roman antiquity

Other

Modern replicaA bronze copy was erected in 2015 at the original site in Delphi
Age statementSaid to have turned 2,500 years old in 2022