The Elephant Chariot at the Golden Gate of Constantinople: An exotic agent of Byzantine victory

This paper focuses on the lost sculptural group that once crowned the Golden Gate of Constantinople, likely an ancient monument re-employed in the Theodosian age, presumably depicting an emperor in an elephant-drawn chariot. Attested only in fragmentary textual sources, this ensemble offers a unique lens on the ideological and symbolic roles of the elephant within early Byzantine vocabulary of power. Combining exotic and triumphal connotations, elephants signaled prestige, diplomatic reach, and imperial dominion beyond the familiar equestrian model. The study also considers the circulation of this iconography in luxury art and numismatics, as well as its integration in ceremonial contexts, particularly triumphal processions staged in the hippodrome, illuminating broader strategies of Byzantine authority.