How Big Was the City of Constantinople?

When Emperor Constantine finished building, it was actually small.  During the time of the Roman Empire, "Among the great cities of the ancient world its size was smaller than Babylon and Thebes. It yields to ancient Rome, to the 18th. century London, and even to Paris." Thus Edward Gibbon.

It stayed that way for a long time. Future emperors expanded it but that was in the far future.  More on Constantine's size and features here at our main history blog. 

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