The Serpentine Column was cast by the Greeks after defeating the Persians at the battles of Salamis (480 BC) and Plataea (479 BC). The remains of the former glory of the ancient Greeks by melting all the spoils that they obtained, created a huge bronze incense burner with three entwined serpents to be erected in front of the Apollo Temple in Delphi. Originally it was 8 m / 26.3 ft high, but today it is only 5.30 m / 17.4 ft.
The column suffered damage over the centuries, (heads are gone) until it was ultimately taken to the Hippodrome of Constantinople (Istanbul today) in 324 AD by Emperor Constantine.