The Serpent Column

In the course of this 2500-year history, the Column has worn many hats. It has served as a thank-offering, an evocation of imperial power, a talisman against evil with a special knack for repelling snakes, and a draw for antiquarians and tourists. Yet the casual observer might find herself hard pressed to imagine such an impressive record. Rising headless from a base several meters below the current ground level, the Column now looks like nothing so much as scrap metal, the stick for Yeats' tattered cloak. The fenced pit, in which it stands, lined with electrical wires and littered with the inevitable bits of trash that are the stuff of urban life, does nothing to encourage imagination. In the interests of rectifying this sorry state, Paul Stephenson's new monograph should be required reading. --Sarah Bassett, <em>Bryn Mawr Classical Review</em> Paul Stephenson's book is a brilliant study of the bronze column erected at Delphi in 479 BC and visible even now in Istanbul. He gives a fascinating account of its changing reception over 2,500 years, and the power ascribed to it by later generations. As he shows, the Serpent Column can still convey surprising messages today. -Averil Cameron, University of Oxford In this magisterial book, Paul Stephenson takes his readers on an immensely fascinating and fruitful journey across time and space. Adopting the approach of cultural biography, he recounts in vividly written prose the story of the Serpent Column in Istanbul, tracking its changing manifestations and meanings from the ancient Greeks to the present. -Thomas Gallant, University of California, San Diego Readers looking for a connecting thread through Greek, Byzantine, and Ottoman history will find here a fascinating exploration of the rich 2,500 year-history of the world's oldest standing bronze sculpture. From ancient Delphi to Byzantine snake charms and Ottoman manuscript images, Stephenson delivers. -Anthony Kaldellis, The Ohio State University