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Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine empire was the eastern portion of the ancient Roman empire, where Greek-speaking inhabitants lived.
982 Questions
Where are Byzantine empire and Persian empire in relation to Arabia?
The Byzantine Empire was to the north and northwest of Arabia while the Persian Empire was to the north and northeast of Arabia.
What deadly weapon did the Byzantine Empire use to fire to defeat their enemies?
They used "Greek Fire" .Similar to a sort of flame thrower, they decimated enemy ships. The formula for Greek Fire was kept so secret that even to this day, no one is absolutely sure what ingredients were used to create it. Some accounts say that once it was used the ships that were attacked still burned even while they were under water. Check the web for the latest on Greek Fire, some scientists think they have nailed the formula.
What was the capitol of the ancient byzantine empire?
The capital city of the Greek-speaking Byzantine Empire was in Constantinople. The city however was first called Byzantium. Constantinople is now the city of Istanbul.
What was one of the greatest legacies of the byzantine empire?
The lasting influences of the Byzantine empire was building the new Rome. Rome had influenced the political and social life of the Byzantine empire. Over time, the Roman influences faded and the Greek influences increased in the area. Between A.D. 500 and A.D. 1200, the Byzantines developed one of the world's most advanced civilizations.
What role id icons play in Byzantine worship?
Icons are holy images that declare the presence of the kingdom of God in the church. They are not only 'visual aids' but representations of the living saints of God. Jesus Christ Himself is also referred to in the Bible as "the image of the invisible God" (Colossians 1:15 and 2Corinthians 4:4).
Honouring the Holy Icons is an essential part of our Faith, as confirmed by the Church Fathers and the Bible. (Seventh Ecumenical Council, 787 AD, Exodus 26:31, Hebrews 9:5).
Icons are honoured or venerated, but they are not worshipped. Only God is worshipped.
St Luke himself (the Apostle and Evangelist) painted over 70 icons, mainly of the Virgin Mary and Christ, and some of his original icons are still in existence to this day (on Mt Athos, Greece). These were painted before the death of Christ. This practice has continued in the Orthodox Church for over 2,000 years and is an essential part of Christianity.
Honouring the righteous and Saints of God is also confirmed in the Bible. (Prov. 10:7, Rev 5:8, 8:3-4).
Why was theodora so important to the history of the byzantine empire?
She influenced policies regarding women, including divorce laws and property ownership, and also was a very helpful advisor to Justinian. For example, during the Nika Riots, when the people fought for gambling, homosexuality, and lower taxes, Theodora convinced Justinian to stay and fight, rather than flee and leave the throne behind. He stayed, and the rioters were killed.
Who took control of the byzantine empire and named its capital Istanbul?
The Ottoman Turks conquered in Constantinople in 1543. The name Constantinople was not dropped. During the period of the Ottoman Empire both Constantinople and Istanbul seem to have been in usage until the 19th century. Constantinople was given as Kostantiniyye, a calque (loan translation) used in the Muslim world.
Kostantiniyye appeared as the place of provenance of documents of the court and the chancellery and on coins up to the 17th century and reappeared on coins in the 19th century. The name Istanbul was associated with the highest magistrate (Istanbul efendis) and the highest military commander (Istanbul agasi). Isanbul was the common speech name.
With the deposition of the Ottoman sultans and establishment of the Turkish Republic in 1923 Istanbul became the sole name of the city. With the Turkish Postal Service Law of 1930 Istanbul became the official name and foreigners were requested to adopt this name in their languages and drop other names. In Europe the use of the name Constantinople had remained widespread. The Turkish postal services would no longer deliver mail sent to Constantinople instead of Istanbul.
The name Istanbul is derived from the Greek word istimbolin which means in/to the city and was used to indicate Constantinople, which was often just called the City. It was already in use by the Armenians, Arabs and Turks in common speech before the conquest of Constantinople
What similar factors contributed to the wealth of the Byzantine Empire and Kievan Russia?
mrs. roberson
What is the difference between western Europe and the byzantine?
The Byzantine Empire was the eastern part of the Roman Empire that carried on after the fall of Rome. Western Europe was the area that was where the fall of Rome happened. During this time, the Byzantine Empire was conquering and prospering while the West was in chaos. The West was in chaos because the Roman Empire was in control for 1,000 years and it just suddenly collapsed due to Barbaric attacks. The east, however, was able to keep stable throughout the madness and went on to rule for another 1,000 years.
What allowed Constantinople to survive the decline of the decline of the roman empire?
To put it simply, Constantinople, or the eastern part of the Roman empire, was able to survive longer because it had more people and more money. It's larger population enabled it to raise armies while its wealth enabled it to either hire mercenaries to supplement its army or give massive bribes to would-be invaders. Its control of the trade routes insured a steady flow of income to keep it strong.
Who are the modern day hittites?
There is no real answer but a good guess would be that the modern day Syrian and Lebanese Christians and some Greeks because that area was conquered by Romans and Byzantine Greeks who later made Christianity the official religion of the empire. Yes the Muslims conquered these areas and some people did convert but I would think it would be uncommon because Muslims tolerated Christianity. Modern day Muslims would most likely be of Arab origin because it is against Islamic law to convert to any other religion once you are Muslim.
What is the social class in the byzantine empire?
Plebeians and patricians, equites, proletariat, freedmen and slaves. People were divided into social groups or classes with each class having its own perks and obligations. In the Roman scheme of things, though, there could be upward mobility as for example, a slave becoming a freedman or a common citizen, one of the proletariat, becoming an equite.
How did the byzantine empire grow wealthy?
Its trade with Kiev (early Russia) and its central location that caused it to be a center of trade with the regions surrounding it.
its location at the meeting point between Asia and Europe helped it control trade routes.
Where did the Ottoman Empire spread?
The Ottoman Empire at its height controlled territories on three different continents.
Africa: Most of North Africa was under Ottoman control including territories from all of the following Modern countries: Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, and Sudan.(Morocco was intentionally not conquered but the Ottoman Empire exerted a strong cultural influence over the independent country).
Europe: The Ottoman Empire controlled the entire Balkans region (Yugoslav States, Albania, and Greece) except for some of the Dalmatian Coast (part of Modern Croatia) and parts of Greece which were under Venetian Control. In addition they controlled the entirety of what is now Bulgaria, Hungary, and parts of Romania. In addition they established dependent protectorates in Wallachia (part of Modern Romania).
Asia: The Ottoman Empire controlled the Levant (Modern Lebanon, Syria, Israel, Palestine, and Jordan), Mesopotamia (Modern Iraq) the Western Arabian Coast (part of Modern Saudi Arabia which includes Mecca and Medina), and of course Anatolia and the Caucasus (modern day Turkey, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan.
Note: This list is not exhaustive as there are other modern countries which had some occupation by the Ottoman Empire, but those territories make up less than 10% of the modern countries' land areas.
What was the biggest difference between the art of the eastern and western roman empires?
The brightness of the colors used
What was the name of the city of Byzantium changed to?
No. Byzantium was renamed Constantinople in 330 and then changed again to Istanbul in 1930. At the time of the first change, it fell within the Roman Empire's borders. Now it is part of Turkey.
When did Constantine name Constantinople?
Constantinople was originally a town called Byzantium. It was founded at some time around 665 BC. When Emperor Constantine I became Emperor, he decided the city of Rome had too many problems to be the capital of the Empire, so he built Byzantium into a new capital. It was consecrated as the capital of the Roman Empire in 330, on May 11.
Why did Constantine 1 moved the capital of the Roman Empire from Rome to Byzantium?
Constantine I (or the Great) did not move the capital of the Roman Empire form Rome to Constantinople. Rome had already ceased to be the capital of the empire under the emperor Diocletian, who had designated Nicomedia (in north-western Turkey) as the imperial capital of the eastern part of the Roman Empire and Milan (in Italy) as the imperial capital of the western part of the empire. Constantine basically moved the imperial capital from Nicomedia to the nearby Byzantium (69 miles to its west), which he redeveloped and renamed after himself. Constantinople means City of Constantine. It was inaugurated in 330.
Ancient writers did not say why Constantine wanted to have a capital of his own. Historians have speculated about the reasons. Some have said that he wanted a new Christian Capital. However, although he built Christian churches for the city, most notably Church of the Holy Apostles, the city also had strong pagan associations. It was said that Constantine, as the pontifex maximus, the high priest of Roman religion, a position he retained throughout his reign, performed the foundation ritual for the foundation of a city of Roman religion: he traced the sacred furrow (pomerium) for the limits of the city. He also inaugurated his new capital, wearing the sun-rayed diadem of Sol Invictus, a Roman deity. He had the Column of Constantine placed in the forum. At the top it had a statue of himself dressed as Sol and wearing the crown owith seven rays f this god and looking towards the rising sun. It had an inscription which said Constantine who shines like the sun. A statue of Palladium (an image which was a protector of a city or a nation), which had been the protector of Troy and then became the protector of Rome, was taken to the city and buried under the column. He had a bronze snake shaped statue dedicated to Python (an mythological earth-dragon of Delphi depicted as a snake) and Apollo brought from Delphi and placed in the hippodrome (at the heart of the city) together with a tripod which celebrated a Greek victory over the Persians and Hercules.
It has also been suggested that the city was meant to act as a bridge between the Christian western part of the empire and the pagan eastern part. However, there is no foundation for this. There were Christians in both parts of the empire and it is not known whether one part had more Christians than the other.
A highly likely reason was propaganda, which Constantine was very good at. He had even invented a fictitious descent from the family of a previous emperor to give legitimacy to his quest for power before he became sole emperor. He became sole emperor after winning two civil wars, one against a usurper emperor in Italy and one against his co-emperor, Licinius. A new capital designated by him and named after himself drove the point that the empire now had a sole ruler. It would show his splendour, give him further prestige and act as a symbol of the new dawn for the empire his rule would usher in. The city was also given titles such as "The New, Second Rome,' 'Eastern Rome,' 'Alma Roma,' and 'Roma Constantinopolitana.' The city had seven hills like Rome. This created a similarity with Rome which helped to justify the titles mentioned above. Constantine built his imperial palace complex between a hill and the forum and by to the hippodrome (the Greek name for circus, the chariot racing track), basing the layout of the Palatine Hill-Forum Circus Maximum model of Rome.
How did the Russians have an effect on the byzantine empire?
the contact with the byzantine empire with the russians was that russia learned many cultural aspects and other languages including art work.
Baghdad became the capital of the Byzantine Empire?
Byzantium, also known as Constantinople, currently Istanbul.
Who had the most exceptional reign in the later part of the Byzantine Empires period of greatness?
Basileios (Basil) II of the Macedonian Dynasty (r. 960-1025CE), sometimes called 'the Bulgar Slayer', is the most likely candidate. A capable administrator and military leader, he expanded the borders of the Byzantine Empire to their greatest extent (ignoring the later annexation of Armenia), curbed the power of the great land magnates, amassed roughly two years total revenue worth of coinage as surplus in the treasury, and left a powerful army utterly loyal to his line.
