Transcript Slide 1

Before the Roman Empire Split
After the Roman Empire Split
The Early Byzantine Period: The ‘First Golden Age’'
The Christianized eastern part of the
Roman Empire, or Byzantine, as it came to
be called, continued for another 1100
years.
The Early Byzantine Period: The ‘First Golden Age’'
An important figure in its earliest years was
the first Christian Roman emperor,
Constantine the Great, who established
toleration for Christianity throughout the
Roman Empire
Constantine the Great
Survival of the Byzantine Empire
The eastern half of the Roman
Empire proved less vulnerable to
foreign attack, thanks to its
geographic location.
Survival of the Byzantine Empire
With Constantinople located on a
strait, it was extremely difficult to
breach the capital's defenses; in
addition, the eastern empire had a
much shorter common frontier with
Europe.
Constantinople
Hippodrome
The word hippodrome comes
from the Greek hippos, horse,
and dromos, path or way.
The Hippodrome of
Constantinople was a horseracing track that was the
sporting and social centre of
Constantinople, capital of the
Byzantine Empire and the
largest city in Europe.
Horse racing and chariot racing were
popular pastimes in the ancient world
and hippodromes were common
features of Greek cities in the
Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine eras.
Hippodrome
Hagia Sophia
It was built by Justinian I
between 532 and 537
Hagia Sophia is the
supreme masterpiece of
Byzantine architecture.
The grand dome of the Hagia
Sophia, an impressive
technical feat for its time, is
often thought to symbolize
the infinity of the cosmos
signified by the Holy Soul to
which the church was
dedicated. It took five years
to reconstruct the dome
after it collapsed in an
earthquake in 557.
Hagia Sophia