Palace of Daphne

Plan of the imperial palace precinct of Constantinople.

The Palace of Daphne (Greek: Δάφνη) was one of the major wings of the Great Palace of Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire (modern Istanbul, Turkey). According to George Codinus, it was named after a statue of the nymph Daphne, brought from Rome.[1] The exact layout and appearance of the palace is unclear, since it lies under the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, and the only surviving evidence comes from literary sources.[2] Jonathan Bardill, however, has suggested that the peristyle with mosaics adjoining an apsed hall, excavated by the Walker Trust excavations in 1935-7 and 1952-4, could be the Augusteus of the Daphne Palace.[3]

  1. ^ Paspates (2004), p. 227
  2. ^ Westbrook (2007)
  3. ^ Bardill, Jonathan (1999). "The Great Palace of the Byzantine Emperors and the Walker Trust Excavations". Journal of Roman Archaeology. 12: 216–230. doi:10.1017/S1047759400017992.