Constantinople: The Gateway City Constantinople was built in 330 CE, by the first Christian emperor, Constantine. Constantinople ruled much of the deserted Roman Empire many years after Constantine's death. Constantinople can be described as a Gateway City by its geographic features, the cultural influences, and the historical influences upon the rest of the world. Constantinople was positioned upon a major seaport called Byzantium. The positioning of Constantinople was at a location between major trading routes to Europe and Asia. Constantinople controlled the Bosporous Strait, which was the junction of many trading routes to Europe. (Doc. A) The trading routes came from a