Marble obelisk, Istanbul (ancient Byzantium, later Constantinople), Turkey.
This Roman obelisk was erected in Byzantium along the spina (the long, low
wall running down the middle of a racecourse, usually decorated with monuments) of
the Hippodrome of Severus (the modern Atmeidan) and was originally covered in
bronze plates.
Note the presence of significant weathering of the soft stone.
© 1992 Craig R. Bina