opening, in 1895, of
the railway to Bucharest, which crosses the Danube by a bridge at Cerna
Voda, brought Constantza a considerable transit trade in grain and
petroleum, which are largely exported; coal and coke head the list of
imports, followed by machinery, iron goods, and cotton and woollen
fabrics. The harbour, protected by breakwaters, with a lighthouse at the
entrance, is well defended from the north winds, but those from the
south, south-east, and south-west prove sometimes highly dangerous. In
1902 it afforded 10 alongside berths for shipping. It had a depth of 22
ft. in the old or inner basin, and of 26 ft. in the new or outer basin,
beside the quays. The railway runs along the quays. A weekly service
between Constantza and Constantinople is conducted by state-owned
steamers, including the fast mail and passenger boats in connexion with
the Ostend and Orient expresses. In 1902, 576 vessels entered at
Constantza, with a net registered tonnage of 641,737. The Black Sea
squadron of the Rumanian fleet is stationed here.

Constantza is the Constantiana which was founded in honour of
Constantia, sister of Constantine the Great (A.D. 274-337). It lies at
the seaward end of the Great Wall of Trajan, and has evidently been
surrounded by fortifications of its own. In spite of damage done by
railway contractors (see Henry C. Barkley, _Between the Danube and the
Black Sea_, 1876) there are considerable remains of ancient
masonry--walls, pillars, &c. A number of inscriptions found in the town
and its vicinity show that close by was Tomi, where the Roman poet Ovid
(43 B.C.-A.D. 17) spent his last eight years in exile. A statue of Ovid
stands in the main square of Constantza.

In regard to the Constantza inscriptions in general, see Allard, _La
Bulgarie orientale_ (Paris, 1866); Desjardins in _Ann. dell' istit.
di corr. arch._ (1868); and a paper on Weickum's collection in
_Sitzungsbericht_ of the Munich Academy (1875).

CONSTELLATION (from the Lat. _constellatus_, studded with stars; _con_,
with, and _stella_, a star), in astronomy, the name given to certain
groupings of stars. The partition of the stellar expanse into areas
characterized by specified stars can be traced back to a very remote
antiquity. It is believed that the ultimate origin of the constellation
figures and names is to be found in the corresponding systems in vogue
among the primitive civilizations of the Euphrates valley--the
Sumeria