One of the famous Medusa heads inside the Basilica Cistern in Istanbul, Turkey. The massive underground reservoir was completed in 532 AD during the reign of Byzantine Emperor Justinian I.
This cistern is easily one of the most atmospheric places on earth! The orientation of that Medusa head always fascinates me. It wasn't a mistake by the Byzantine builders in 532 AD; they were reusing older Roman pagan monuments (known as spolia) purely for structural support. However, historians believe that placing Medusa upside down or sideways was highly intentional it was a way to negate the mythical power of her "gaze," literally crushing the authority of the old gods beneath the foundation of Justinian's new Christian empire.
Stroll through the Basilica Cistern and learn about its Medusa Heads, their origins in Roman times, and their mysterious role in Byzantine a
[commentary not mine]
