The Column of Constantine (or 'Burnt Column') is a monumental column constructed on the orders of the Roman emperor Constantine the Great in 330 AD. It commemorates the declaration of Byzantium (renamed by Constantine as Nova Roma) as the new capital city of the Roman Empire. The column is located on Yeni?eriler Caddesi in Cenberlitas, central Istanbul, along the old Divan Yolu (the 'Road to the Imperial Council') between Sultanahmet and Beyaz?t Square (known as Forum Tauri in the Roman period.). Earthquakes and a fire in 1779 destroyed the neighborhood surrounding the column, leaving it with black scorch marks and earning it the name 'Burnt Column'. The column was restored by Abd?lhamid I, who had the present masonry base added. The base was strengthened in 1779. The original platform of the column is 2.5 meters below ground.