Surviving a Pillage

By the year 1204 the Byzantium Empire was losing ground to the Crusaders and Constantinople was pillaged. Monuments pertaining to the lush culture of the Byzantium empire were destroyed and the forum was unfortunate enough to be torn apart. The statues surrounding the column were melted for their precious metals, but interestingly the column was not destroyed. It was damaged from the chaos, but left standing even with the cross on top. This could be that, simply, the site aligned with the religious values of the crusaders and therefore was not harmed. However, many of the Crusaders indiscriminately ransacked various holy sites. The fact that this site was spared increases its importance as it again stands as a monument to Catholic victory. A more cynical view of its survival may be the lack of valuable materials in the column. Had there been a large bronze statue of an emperor, it might not have survived to the present day.