Byzantium

The Eastern Roman Empire Continues

Map of Byzantine Empire

Constantinople

• Capital of Eastern Roman Empire after it split in 3rd century AD

• Located on Bosporus Strait, which linked Mediterranean and Black Seas

• Controlled key trading routes linking Europe and Asia

Constantinople

Advantages of Constantinople

• Closer to Silk Road than Rome (Crossroads of trade)

• Had stronger military than Rome• Easier to defend from outside enemies• Easily fortified site on a peninsula bordering

natural harbor• More prosperous than Rome

Constantinople

• The city of Constantinople blended Greek, Roman and Christian cultures.

Justinian

Age of Justinian (527-565 AD)

• Byzantium’s most important leader• Tried to restore united Roman Empire• Prevented German barbarians from moving eastward• Built Hagia Sophia, which means “Holy Wisdom (also

called Saint Sophia)• Defeated rebels at Nika with Theodora’s help

Age of Justinian

• Used diplomacy to defeat empire’s enemies• Organized all Roman laws into Justinian’s

Code• Ruled as autocrat (dictator)• Was regarded as a spiritual as well as political

authority

Justinian’s Code Activity with your table group

Hagia Sophia

Hagia Sophia

Theodora

Role of Theodora

• Wife of Justinian

• Actress

• More involved in politics than any other empress

Theodora’s Bravery Reading

Byzantine Achievements

• Large well-trained bureaucracy• Efficient army and navy• Strong trade-based economy with high

standard of living• Powerful Church with influence throughout

the Balkans and Russia

Byzantine Achievements

• Preservation of classical (Greco-Roman) learning in monasteries

Features of Byzantine Art

• Icons , Mosaics , churches• Religious subject matter• Dark palette (green, gold, brown, dark red or

orange)• Stylized faces, large eyes

Byzantine Art

Icons

• Powerful religious images• Thought to connect believer to

image in icon• Painted• On wood• Often decorated with gold or silver

Byzantine Icons

Icons

Mosaics

Mosaics

Mosaics:

• Roman-reflect daily life…fish, animals, grapes• Byzantine-religious in nature….crosses, Mary,

Jesus• Islamic-patterns…no people!!!

Roman Mosaics

Islamic mosaics

The Church

• Byzantine Empire has the Greek Orthodox Church

• Western Roman Empire has the Roman Catholic Church

Divisions between Roman Catholicism and Orthodox Christianity

Roman Catholic• Latin• Pope• Rome• Celibate Priests• They like icons

Orthodox• Greek• Patriarch• Constantinople• Priests can marry• Didn’t like icons for a

period of time, then later became known for them.

Great Schism

The differences between the two resulted in the Great Schism or divide. Now we have two separate churches

Christianity in Russia

• Slavic people were converted to Christianity by Cyril

• The Slavs had no written language• St. Cyril, a monk, adapted the Greek alphabet

to create a written Slavic language known as Cyrillic

Cyrillic

•Cyrillic Alphabet

St. Basil’s Cathedral

• Russians adopted the use of the dome but changed the shape to be more onion looking…why?

Onion Domes