Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment. -- Buddha Name: The Byzantine Empire Aim: To what extent was the Byzantine Empire, the new Rome? Development of the Byzantine Empire Rome collapsed in the 5th century By that time, Rome had already split into two halves, the Western half and the Eastern half The Western half falls into the Dark Ages (Middle Ages) The Eastern half would continue the Roman legacy as the Byzantine Empire In 330 AD, the emperor Constantine built a new capital city of Constantinople on the site of the former Greek city, Byzantium, at the crossroads of Europe and Asia The City was not conquered until 1453 and had formidable defenses that kept out many invaders. 1. What kind of landform is Constantinople built on? (archipelago, peninsula, mountains etc. ) 2. What are the geographic advantages of this new capital? 3. Examine the layout of the city. Why do you think the city was so hard to conquer?
Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment. -- Buddha THE GOLDEN AGE OF BYZANTINE CULTURE Despite the separation of the eastern and western Roman empires, Constantine s successors in the east continued to see themselves as Roman emperors. In 527, a high-ranking Byzantine nobleman named Justinian succeeded the throne of the eastern empire. Justinian dreamed of bringing back the glory of ancient Rome. Justinian launched into the most ambitious public building program ever seen in the Roman world. Directions: Examine the Golden Age of the Byzantine Empire to determine to what extent it could be considered the New Rome City Walls & Why was the city considered the best fortified city in the world at that time? Infrastructure The Hagia Sophia How is the Hagia Sophia an example of cultural diffusion? Preservation of Greek Learning Why does the modern world owe a great deal of gratitude to Byzantium? Life in Constantinople Describe life in Constantinople in your own words Influence on Russia How did the Byzantine Empire influence Russian culture?
Justinian s Code Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment. -- Buddha Examine Justinian s Code. To what extent is the law code fair? Regents practice problems: 1. What was a major contribution of the Byzantine Empire? A. adoption of democratic ideas from Russia B. spread of humanism and secularism across Europe C. reunification of eastern and western Christendom D. preservation of Greek and Roman culture Justinian imposes new code of law. Completion of Hagia Sophia adds beauty to Constantinople. Greco-Roman tradition preserved. 2. Which empire is described in these statements? A. Byzantine B. Persian C. Mauryan D. Ottoman 3. The strategic location of the Byzantine Empire allowed control of the key trade routes between the A. South China Sea and the Strait of Malacca B. Caspian Sea and the Indian Ocean C. North Sea and the English Channel D. Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea Reflection Question: To what extent would you consider the Byzantine Empire, the New Rome?
Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment. -- Buddha Fall of the Byzantine Empire The Mysterious Plague of Justinian The first crisis for the Byzantine actually began before Justinian s death. It was a disease that resembled what we now know as the bubonic plague. This horrifying illness hit Constantinople in the later years of Justinian s reign. The plague probably arrived from India on ships infested with rats. In 542, at its peak, it is estimated that 10,000 people were dying every day. The illness broke out every 8 to 12 years until 700, when it finally faded out. By that time, it had destroyed a huge percentage of the Byzantine population. 1. How long did the plague last for? years 2. What type of effects will a plague have on a civilization? Come up with one social, political and economic effect. a. Social Effect b. Political Effect c. Economic Effect Attacks from East and West Byzantine s enemies pressed in on all sides. Avars, Slavs, and Bulgars made frequent raids on the northern borders. The Persians attacked from the east. As their first defense the Byzantines used bribes, diplomacy, and political marriages to help maintain their empire. However, this did not work. In the 7 th century, Emperor Heraclius reorganized the empire along military lines. Provinces became military districts. Each district was run by a general who reported directly to the emperor. Despite the measures, the Byzantine Empire slowly shrank under the impact of foreign attacks. By, 1350, it was reduced to the tip of Turkey and a strip of the Balkans region of northern Greece. Finally, Constantinople fell to the Ottoman Turks in 1453. In your own words, explain the fall of the Byzantine Empire Our Debt to the Byzantines Byzantine civilization created little that was new or unique, because they borrowed ideas and techniques from ancient Greece and Rome. However, in such an age of violence and confusion, the Byzantines did make invaluable contributions to civilization. First of all, Byzantine missionaries spread Greek Orthodox Christianity and civilization northward. Eastern Europe, especially Russia, was heavily influenced by Byzantine architecture, religion, and the Cyrillic alphabet. For example, the onion domes" atop many Russian Churches show Byzantine influence. Orthodox Christianity has also had a profound and lasting impact on the Russian people down through the centuries to the present day, even surviving and outlasting official discouragement from the communist government that held power for nearly 75 years.
Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment. -- Buddha The Byzantines passed Greek civilization, in particular its math and science, on to the Muslim Arabs. The Arabs took the Greek heritage and added their own culture (such as the invention of algebra), and passed it on to Western Europe by way of Muslim Spain. This helped lay the foundations of our own scientific tradition. The Byzantines directly passed much of ancient Greek culture to Western Europe during the Renaissance. Also, the Byzantines, just by holding back so many nomadic invaders from the East through the centuries, allowed Western Europe s culture to survive and develop in relative peace. During the Early Middle Ages, the Byzantines did more than their share in the preservation and advancement of civilization. Reflection Often times, the Byzantine Empire is considered to be the missing link between Roman and Renaissance times and that it is not given the credit it deserves for its debt to world history. On the other hand, there are many critics who say the Byzantines did not come up with anything original. In comparison to the other civilizations we have studied this year, make a case for how the Byzantine Empire should be remembered. Question: In your opinion, can the Byzantine Empire be considered the heroes of the Middle Ages? Why or why not?
City Walls & Infrastructure
Preservation of Greek Learning
Life in Constantinople The main street running through Constantinople was the Mese or the Middle Way. It ran from the imperial complex through a series of public squares and then divided into two branches to the outer walls. Merchant stalls lined the mains street and filled the side streets. A stone roof sheltered the crowds shopping in this giant open-air market. Products from the most distant corners of Asia, Africa, and Europe could be found here. Shoppers could buy tin from England, wine from France, cork from Spain, and ivory and gold Africa. Fur, honey and tea came from Russia, spices from India, and silk from China. Food stands filled the air with the smell of delicacies, while acrobats and street musicians performed. Meanwhile, citizens could enjoy free entertainment at the Hippodrome, which offered wild chariot races and circus acts. The Hippodrome held 60,000 spectators.
Influence on Russia The Byzantine Empire preserved the ideas of the Greeks and Romans and their achievement were pass along to the Slavs of Early Russia. The Byzantines also had a unique influence on Russia religion and language The Byzantines gave Russia a written language. Around 900 A.D., two monks or members of a religious order, began to preach to the Slavs (The Russians are Slavic people). The monks, Cyril and Methodius, converted many Slavs to Christianity. The Slavs had no written language. The monks invented an alphabet for their spoken language by adapting the Greek alphabet. This new system, called the Cyrillic alphabet is still used in Russia today. When the Byzantine falls, the Slavs became the guardians of the Eastern Orthodox faith and Byzantine culture. The religious practices would be handed down from generation to generation until the present day.
To regulate a complex society, Justinian set up a panel of ten legal experts. Between 528 and 533, they combed through 400 years of Roman law and legal opinions. Some of those laws had become outdated. Some repeated or even contradicted other laws. The panel s task was to create a single, uniform code for Justinian s New Rome. The result of the panel s work was a body of civil law known as the Justinian s Code.