The Byzantine Empire: A World Away from Rome

The world was rapidly shifting into a period of wealth, and art where the finer things in life could be enjoyed and craftsmanship would be perfected. A few proclaim that the Roman’s engineering feats can be seen in Byzantine architecture, however, because the Byzantine empire was the leader in this transition into prosperity changing the face of religion, recreating Rome’s land and capitals, and finally changing the government and legal system, in this manner the Byzantine empire demonstrates how Justinian created a new empire, different from that of the Romans.

A notable difference between the Roman and Byzantine empires was the religion and it’s influence. Unlike Rome’s polytheistic religion, Byzantine’s faith was rooted in christianity. Considered the most inspired and magnificent cathedral of its time, The Hagia Sophia Catherdal stood proudly in the Capital of Constantinople. The cathedral collapsed due to frequent earthquakes and its instability but was quickly rebuilt, restoring and even improving The Hagia’s grandeur. The presence of God was very strong when discussing the cathedral, as can be seen in document 4 written by Procopius in 537 “… And whenever anyone enters this church to pray, he understand at once that it is not by any human strength or skill, but by the influence of God, that this work has been perfected.” In comparison to the Romans, whom attributed every achievement of theirs to themselves, the Byzantines gave majority of the credit to God. This example not only show’s the heavy influence God held, but also the change from a polytheistic religion to a monotheistic religion. However, perhaps the most monumental difference between Roman and Byzantine religions were that Byzantine, unlike the Western Catho...

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...had a final say, but were not viewed as holy people with a power similar to that of god whom rules all. In summary the Byzantines’ laws and government from the Digest , to the Hippodrome and the devout way of the emperor divided Byzantine from Rome.

The Byzantine empire demonstrates how Justinian created a new empire, different from that of the Romans, the Byzantine empire was the leader in this transition into prosperity changing the face of religion, recreating Rome’s land and capitals, and finally changing the government and legality. Thus eliminating any thoughts that the Roman’s engineering feats can be seen in Byzantine architecture, suggesting that Justinian revived the old Roman empire. The end result of these comparisons is ultimately that Byzantine was a time of prosperity formerly unimaginable to that of the Romans, separating the two empires.