Why Was Constantinople Called New Rome?

A. Sutherland  – AncientPages.com – Constantinople became a new Rome, and the Emperor Constantine the Great celebrated the inauguration of his new capital city, and the name of the town originates from his name.

In 330 AD, he split the Roman Empire into two parts: Eastern and Western, and the western half centered in Rome while the eastern half centered in Constantinople (City of Constantine).

Map of Constantinople (1422) by Florentine cartographer Cristoforo Buondelmonti is the oldest surviving map of the city and the only one that predates the Turkish conquest in 1453. Source

After restoring the unity of the Empire, Constantine the Great introduced many governmental reforms and increased financial resources for the Christian church.

Then, he identified the site of Byzantium – a small Greek port – as the new center of the Empire and the seat of government, officially known as Nova Roma (‘New Rome’).

See also:

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Rome that had been the capital for over a thousand years was too far from the frontiers of the Empire, and it might have seemed unimaginable to propose that ancient Rome be moved to another location.

Constantine’s dedication of the new city was most probably the most significant moment of his reign. The new capital had a perfect strategic location; it was standing on a piece of land projecting into the Bosphorus, the narrow strait of water dividing two continents: Europe from Asia.

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