CONSTANTINOPLECONSTANTINOPLETHE CITYTHE CITY

Constantinople, The City

Explain the geography.

What are some of the places/things you see specified in the map? What is the importance of their place in the city?

In what ways did Constantinople’s location have an impact?

Constantine, Emperor of Rome and Constantinople

What does this piece of sculpture remind you of?

Why is that?

How did the artist convey Constantine?

Justinian 482 CE- 565 CE

What materials were used to create this piece of artwork.

Describe Justinian, as shown in this piece.

How do you think the artist felt about him?

“Therefore, since there is nothing to be found in all things so worthy of attention as the authority of the law, which properly regulates all affairs both divine and human, and expels all injustice; We have found the entire arrangement of the law which has come down to us from the foundation of the City of Rome and the times of Romulus, to be so confused that it is extended to an infinite length and is not within the grasp of human capacity; and hence We were first induced to begin by examining what had been enacted by former most venerated princes, to correct their constitutions, and make them more easily understood; to the end that being included in a single Code, and having had removed all that is superfluous in resemblance and all iniquitous discord, they may afford to all men the ready assistance of true meaning.”

First Preface of the Digest, Justinian

What is this piece basically about?

What is the viewpoint of the speaker?

How do you know (what is the evidence?)

“The precepts of the law are these: to live honestly, to injure no one, and to give every man his due. The study of law consists of two branches, law public and law private. The former relates to the welfare of the Roman State; the latter to the advantage of the individual citizen. Of private law then we may say that it is of threefold origin, being collected from the precepts of nature, from those of the law of nations, or from those of the civil law of Rome.” ~ From Justinian’s “Body Of Civil Law”

Corpus Juris Civilis

What is the subject of this document excerpt?

Why does this document refer to Rome so often?

What is the point of view and what evidence did you find to support it?

What does this tell you about Byzantine beliefs, practices, political systems?

Hagia Sophia Orthodox Church built 537; turned into a Mosque after the defeat by Ottomans 1453

Leaving out the Islamic symbols, describe what you see in the pictures.

What does this tell you about Constantinople & its people?

Court of Theodora, wife of Justinian, mosaic, San Vitale, Ravenna, Italy

Describe what you see in the mosaic.

Why do you think this was created?

What does this say about Theodora and the Byzantine empire?

Lid of the Limburg Staurotheca, 10th c, created in Byzantine, taken to Germany by crusading knights;Box supposedly holding relics such as parts of crucifixion cross

What do you see in this image? Be very specific. You should use your prior knowledge to help you figure out who the people are.

What may the jewels say about Byzantine society? About their religious beliefs?

Why do you thinking the knights brought this specific piece back to Germany?

Mosaic of the Virgin Mary, Jesus, Justinian and Constantine, Hagia Sophia, Constantinople (Istanbul)

On the Virgin Mary’s right is Justinian, offering her a replica of the Hagia Sophia. On her left is Constantine, offering her the model of the city. Why do you think these 3 people are together in this mosaic?

What is the significance of those items being presented to the Virgin Mary by the emperors?

Hippodrome

• The circumference of the city of Constantinople is eighteen miles; half of it is surrounded by the sea, and half by land, and it is situated upon two arms of the sea, one turning from the sea of Russia [the Black Sea], and one from the sea of Sepharad [the Mediterranean].

• All sorts of merchants come here from the land of Babylon, from the land of Shinar [Mesopotamia], from Persia, Media [western Iran], and all the sovereignty of the land of Egypt, from the land of Canaan [Palestine], and the empire of Russia, from Hungary, Patzinakia [Ukraine], Khazaria [southern Russia], and the land of Lombardy [northern Italy] and Sepharad [Spain].

• Constantinople is a busy city, and merchants come to it from every country by sea or land, and there is none like it in the world except Baghdad, the great city of Islam. In Constantinople is the church of Hagia Sophia, and the seat of the pope of the Greeks, since Greeks do not obey the pope of Rome. There are also as many churches as there are days of the year. . . . And in this church [Hagia Sophia] there are pillars of gold and silver, and lamps of silver and gold more than a man can count.

• Close to the walls of the palace is also a place of amusement belonging to the emperor, which is called the Hippodrome, and every year on the anniversary of the birth of Jesus the emperor gives a great entertainment there. And in that place men from all the races of the world come before the emperor and empress with jugglery and without jugglery, and they introduce lions, leopards, bears, and wild asses, and they engage them in combat with one another; and the same thing is done with birds. No entertainment like this is to be found in any other land. . . .

• From every part of the Byzantine empire tribute is brought here every year, and they fill strongholds with garments of silk, purple, and gold. Like unto these storehouses and this wealth there is nothing in the whole world to be found. It is said that the tribute of the city amounts every year to 20,000 gold pieces, derived both from the rents of shops and markets and from the tribute of merchants who enter by sea or land.

• The Greek inhabitants are very rich in gold and precious stones, and they go clothed in garments of silk and gold embroidery, and they ride horses and look like princes. Indeed, the land is very rich in all cloth stuffs and in bread, meat, and wine.

• Wealth like that of Constantinople is not to be found in the whole world. Here also are men learned in all the books of the Greeks, and they eat and drink, every man under his vine and his fig-tree.

The Itinerary of Rabbi Benjamin Tudela, Spain, 1165-1173.

• Describe the city as told by Rabbi Tudela.

• List several things that went on in the city, as pointed by Rabbi Tudela.

• What is his POV and how do you know?

Describe the map and what we can learn from it.

How did the city of Constantinople (and subsequently the Byzantine Empire) benefit from what you see?

Workers in a Field, payment of workers, c 11th c, Byzantine Gospel, Paris, national Library

Describe what you see in the bottom panel.

Describe what you see in the top panel.

Knowing that this is an image from a Gospel, can you explain the religious connections?

What does all of this tell you about life in Byzantine?

“With the aid of God governing Our Empire which was delivered to Us by His Celestial Majesty, We carry on war successfully. We adorn peace and maintain the Constitution of the State, and have such confidence in the protection of Almighty God that We do not depend upon Our arms, or upon Our soldiers, or upon those who conduct Our Wars, or upon Our own genius, but We solely place Our reliance upon the providence of the Holy Trinity, from which are derived the elements of the entire world and their disposition throughout the globe.”

Corpus Juris Civilis

What is important to Justinian’s people? Use evidence.

On the Wars, Procopius

•“Belisarius, upon reaching Byzantium with Gelimer [last king of the Vandals, captured by Belisarius in 534] and the Vandals, was counted worthy to receive such honours, as in former times were assigned to those generals of the Romans who had won the greatest and most noteworthy victories. And a period of about six hundred years had now passed since anyone had attained these honours, except, indeed, Titus and Trajan……For he displayed the spoils and slaves from the war in the midst of the city and led a procession which the Romans call a "triumph," not, however, in the ancient manner, but going on foot from his own house to the hippodrome and then again from the barriers [the starting point for the racers at the open end of the Hippodrome] until he reached the place where the imperial throne is. And there was booty,-first of all, whatever articles are wont to be set apart for the royal service,-thrones of gold and carriages in which it is customary for a king's consort to ride, and much Jewelry made of precious stones, and golden drinking cups, and all the other things which are useful for the royal table. And there was also silver weighing many thousands of talents and all the royal treasure amounting to an exceedingly great sum (for Gizeric [leader of the Vandals who had sacked Rome in 455] had despoiled the Palatium in Rome) and among these were the treasures of the Jews, which Titus, the son of Vespasian, had brought to Rome after the capture of Jerusalem [70 A.D.]. And one of the Jews, seeing these things, approached one of those known to the emperor and said: "These treasures I think it inexpedient to carry into the palace in Byzantium. Indeed, it is not possible for them to be elsewhere than in the place where Solomon, the king of the Jews, formerly placed them. For it is because of these that Gizeric captured the palace of the Romans, and that now the Roman army has captured that of the Vandals." When this had been brought to the ears of the Emperor, he became afraid and quickly sent everything to the sanctuaries of the Christians in Jerusalem. And there were slaves in the triumph, among whom was Gelimer himself, wearing some sort of a purple garment upon his shoulders, and all his family, and as many of the Vandals as were very tall and fair of body. And when Gelimer reached the hippodrome and saw the emperor sitting upon a lofty seat and the people standing on either side and realized as he looked about in what an evil plight he was, he neither wept nor cried out, but ceased not saying over in the words of the Hebrew scripture: "Vanity of vanities, all is vanity." And when he came before the emperor's seat, they stripped off the purple garment, and compelled him to fall prone on the ground and do obeisance to the Emperor Justinian. This also Belisarius did, as being a suppliant of the emperor along with him. And the Emperor Justinian and the Empress Theodora presented the children of Ilderic [one-time king of the Vandals and friend of Justinian; overthrown by Gelimer] and his offspring and all those of the family of the Emperor Valentinian with sufficient sums of money, and to Gelimer they gave lands not to be despised in Galatia and permitted him to live there together with his family. However, Gelimer was by no means enrolled among the patricians, since he was unwilling to change from the faith of Arius.”

•“A little later the triumph [in honor of his inauguration as consul] was celebrated by Belisarius in the ancient manner also. For he had the fortune to be advanced to the office of consul, and therefore was borne aloft by the captives, and as he was thus carried in his curule chair, he threw to the populace those very spoils of the Vandalic war. For the people carried off the silver plate and golden girdles and a vast amount of the Vandals' wealth of other sorts as a result of Belisarius' consulship, and it seemed that after a long interval of disuse an old custom was being revived. . . .”

• Explain the basic scenario in On the Wars.

• How is what you’ve read a continuity from the past? Focus on the conquest itself.

• How is what you’ve read a continuity from the past? Focus on the triumph of the conquest.\

• What does this tell you about the political, social and cultural aspects of Justinian’s empire?

On the Wars is a piece about the reconquest & overthrowing of the Vandal Kingdom in Northern Africa.

The Siege of Constantinople, 1453, Fresco, Church of St. George, Romania, 1537

What do you see in each section of this fresco?

What kind of technology is being used?

What does this fresco tell us about the siege, and subsequent fall of Constantinople?

Thesis StatementsUsing the documents,

• analyze the political continuities and changes of the Byzantine empire.

• compare Constantinople (the Byzantine Empire) to the Roman Empire.

• analyze the social, cultural & economic continuities and changes of the Byzantine Empire.