Transcript Constantinople: At the Crossroads

Constantinople:
At the Crossroads
Originally founded as the Greek colony “Byzantium” c. 670 B.C.E
Made capital of Eastern Roman Empire by Constantine c. 306 B.C.E
Now known as Istanbul, Turkey. It is at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa.
• When Emperor Diocletian
divided the Roman Empire
into Eastern and Western
sections, he ruled the East.
• Imperial administrators
relocated from Rome to
Constantinople.
• Preserved Greco-Roman
ideals of government and
law.
Emperor Justinian, ruled 527-565 CE.
▫
Determined to revive grandeur of ancient
Rome.
▫
Under Justinian, the Byzantine Empire
reached its height in culture and prosperity.
▫
He also pushed his generals to reconquer
former territories, moving all the way from
Northern Africa to Italy and Southern
Spain.
Justinian’s Code
▫ Emperor had all the laws of
ancient Rome collected,
revised, and organized.
▫ Known as “Corpus Juris
Civilis”.
▫ Became basis for Western
European law in 1100’s CE.
▫ Used today as basis for
international law.
• Constantinople’s strategic location meant
that trade between Asia, Europe, and
Africa could easily be controlled.
• Trade  Money  Power. The bezant
circulated from England to China.
• Eastern Europe maintained “money”
economy; Western Europe reverted to
“barter” system.
• Distant from Germanic invasions to the
West
• Easily defended—on a peninsula with a
natural harbor
Lasting Contributions to Art & Architecture
 Hagia Sophia.
Mosaics elevated to a new art form.
Made of small pieces of tile, glass or
enamel, arranged to form a picture.
Used to portray emperors, religious
scenes and martyrs.
 Noted for it’s use of domes,
and later minarets.
 Use of massive arches
provides a huge, domed
interior.
Language & Religion
Rome
(Western Empire)
Constantinople
(Eastern Empire)
• Spoke Latin
• Spoke Greek
• Greek and others
considered “barbaric”
• Latin, Arabic and other
languages used. Not
considered “barbaric”.
• Roman Catholic
• Eastern Orthodox
• Headed by Pope (Bishop
of Rome)
• Headed by Patriarch
(Bishop of
Constantinople)
The Great Schism:
Cultural diffusion led to differences in how Christianity was
practiced in various regions. Churches split in 1054 CE.
Western Roman Empire
Eastern Roman Empire
• Roman Catholic Church
• Eastern Orthodox Church
• Priests cannot marry
• Priests allowed to marry
• Worship of icons allowed
▫ illiterate people needed
pictures to understand Bible
• Worship of icons not allowed
▫ Literate population, violation
of 10 commandments
The Great Irony?
The West no longer worships idols, but the East does!
Importance of Trade
Routes
• Trades routes connected the
Byzantines to the Russians.
• Cultural diffusion occurred
along routes between Black
Sea and Baltic Sea.
• Increased contact brought
closer political (military) &
cultural ties.
Influence #1…
• Orthodox Christianity
• Prince Vladimir I of Russia
converted.
• Marries the daughter of the
Patriarch of Constantinople.
• Vladimir forced his people to
convert to the faith as well.
Influence #2…
• Cyrillic Alphabet
• Slavs had no written language; needed
one to translate the Bible
Greek
Cyrillic
Influence #3…
• Onion Dome
• Based on Roman
dome, but with
Russian
adaptations