The designation of Istanbul by the European Unions Council of Ministers as the European Capital of Culture for 2010 was instrumental in the decision to focus on Constantinople in the Second International Sevgi Gönül Byzantine Studies Symposium, which was held on 2123 June 2010 at the Istanbul Archaeological Museum. The particular theme of the symposium, The Byzantine Court: Source of Power and Culture, was selected, on the other hand, in view of Constantinoples essential role as Byzantine imperi ...