ROME'S HISTORICAL HERITAGE AND TURKEY'S CULTURAL MISSION
Dating back to the 7th century BC and called Byzantion in Antiquity, Istanbul was officially consecrated by the Eastern Roman Emperor Constantine I on May 11, 330 AD and declared as the new capital of the empire under the name of Constantinople. In 1453, the city passed to the Turks with the conquest of Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror and became the capital of the Ottoman Empire.
After the ancient period, 1694 years have passed since the urbanization of Istanbul and its establishment as the capital. Due to its important witness to world history, it was thought that it would be meaningful to hold our panel to discuss the ancient history of Istanbul one day before May 11, the anniversary of the founding of Istanbul.
The panelists will discuss the extent to which the cultural synthesis resulting from the penetration of ancient Hellenic and Roman culture into the Ottoman state and social structure continued with the Republic and the claim that Western Europe was not the sole inheritor of Hellenic-Roman culture.
At the end of these discussions, a final declaration and report will be published and recommendations will be made to the Ministry of Culture and Istanbul Metropolitan and district municipalities on issues such as the creation of cultural policies and a road map for Turkey to become a long-term regional cultural power.