Martin M. Miles' photos with the keyword: Sack of Constantinople

The Phoenicians, the Greeks and the Romans have been here. In 216 BC, during the second Punic war, the Battle of Canne was fought nearby which led to the heavy defeat of the Romans by Hannibal's army. After the collapse of the Roman Empire, the area was taken over by the Normans, who built a fortress here. During the time of the Crusades, Barletta became an important gathering point for the armies of knights. The city had its heyday under Frederick II, who in 1228 announced the sixth crusade during the Diet held here. Following the Muslim conquest in the Holy Land, the Archbishops of Nazareth took permanent refuge in Barletta in 1327. - The Colossus of Barletta, today placed next to the Basilica del Santo Sepolcro, reportedly washed up on a shore, after a Venetian ship sank returning from the Sack of Constantinople in the Fourth Crusade in 1204, but it may be that the statue was sent to the West much earlier. According to tradition, it depicts Heraclius (reign 610–641 AD), but most scholars doubt that. It is known that a colossal statue was discovered in 1231–1232 during excavations commissioned by Emperor Frederick II in Ravenna and is not improbable that he had it transported to Barletta. The first certain news about it dates from 1309 when parts of the legs and arms were used by local Dominicans to cast bells. The missing parts were remade in the 15th century.

Venice (ital. Venezia) is one of the most important tourist destinations worldwide with about 30 million visitors each year. As each tourist takes at least 100 photos (minimum!) in Venice 3000000000 photos are taken here per year, what means more than 8 millions per day. Many of them are uploaded and can be found in the web. - The Horses of Saint Mark Two of the four "Horses of Saint Mark" (aka "Quadriga"). They are placed on the facade above the porch of the basilica. The four horses came (just like the "Tetrarchs") as trophies to Venice in 1204 after the Fourth Crusade (aka "Sack of Constantinople"). They were looted again in 1797 by Napoleon´s troops, stayed some years in Paris and were returned to Venice in 1815. Actually seen here are replicas.