Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Byzantine empire and justinian essay
Roman empire and Byzantine empire comparison
How was the byzantine empire different than the roman empire
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Byzantine empire and justinian essay
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...
... middle of paper ...
...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.
As you can see, the Byzantine and Arab empires had many characteristics that came to define them. Whether it was through their religious beliefs, political structure, or economy, each was able to create a vast, long lasting empire which came to define the post-classical period.
Did Justinian impact life as we know it because he is such a great ruler, or is he just a follower who keeps trying to hold on to the loose threads of a fallen empire? Some might say that without Justinian, humanity is a step further back. Others may argue evermore that Justinian is a two-faced liar who you cannot trust (Doc. 2). Contrary to many beliefs, Justinian creates a new Byzantine Empire after the fall of Rome that is influential to many different cultures, more advanced and educated than Rome, and more economically thriving than the Roman Empire.
Theodora’s story starts with a distinctive start. Her father was a bear trainer that worked in the Hippodrome in Constantinople and she grew up in the entertainment spotlight (Craig/Graham/Kagan/Ozment /Turner, 355, 2009). She was a mime and when she was older, she became an actress (Koeller, 1996). So, she not only lived in a circus, she also became a child star. Who would not want her childhood? But, back in that day, an actress was not a highly looked upon career for a women, therefore the term ‘actress’ was interchanged with ‘prostitute’ (Koeller, 1996). So, it might not have been the best...
Roman Emperor Constantine I founded the Byzantine Empire in 330 CE as a continuation of the Roman Empire in the east. The characteristics of the empire led to the modern definition of “Byzantine,” which means “strangely complicated.” This was true, as in the Byzantine Empire was very chaotic, complex, and strange at times, but it was very massive and influential worldwide. The empire heavily influenced modern religion, laws, and engineering, making it worthwhile learning about the empire. Our ideas about laws and philosophy are borrowed from those of Justinian’s code, which was the main set of laws of the empire.
The book gives valuable information about Justinian and his age. It covers Justinian's life, his reforms and every action he took. It gives information about the relationship between Justinian and Theodora and its effects on the Empire. It gives a vivid picture of the Byzantine Empire in Justinian's age. The writer of the book also included the writings of some important scholars such as J.B Bury, Norman Baynes and Gibbon's. However the writer of this book did not live to see it print it is a fact that he wrote a great book full of information, giving the reader detailed sketch of Justinian's Age.
Constantine’s departure from Rome took with him the political seat of power. With the removal of the political head a power vacuum was created. The body that remained in Rome was that of the Christian church, feeble though it may have been. Rome’s identity was so deeply rooted in the pagan tradition that despite his best efforts Constantine was unable to convert it entirely. The former capital was still home to a powerful group of aristocrats which held on firmly to the roots of paganism. Gradually, with the support of the imperial court and the city’s urban masses, the church was able to gain a foothold in the fifth century (Krautheimer 33).
When Emperor Constantine found the city of Constantinople, it was soon to become the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire. But the Christin city needed a great church to represent it’s great value, so the Hagia Sophia was built (Krystek, Lee). The Hagia Sophia was built by the Byzantine Empire in 537 C.E., which was an Empire influenced greatly by the greek and roman styles (Krystek, Lee). It has a square base with a large dome on the top. Round arcs surrounded the large dome, adding mystical beauty to the Hagia Sophia (Krystek, Lee). Also, multiple colors of bricks were used to create patterns on the outside of the Hagia Sophia. On the inside, the walls are made of marble with glass panes which bring beautiful sunlight into the large museum (Krystek, Lee). The Hagia Sophia is very significant because it was rebuilt many times. The first church was built and then burnt down in 404 C.E. (Krystek, Lee). It was then rebuilt and burned down by riots in 502 C.E. (Krystek, Lee). Then the 3rd church was built by Justinian. After long periods of time, Sultan Mehmed conquered Constantinople and changed it to an islamic city, converting the church to a mosque (Krystek, Lee). In 1934, President Ataturk changed the mosque to a museum for the people and tourists, instead of a sacred place of worship (Krystek, Lee).
Justinian was one of the most influential rulers of Byzantium. When he came into power in 527 AD, he inherited a civilization in disarray. Justinian had a positive impact on the Byzantine Empire. Most notably, he introduced an improved set of laws and conquered many surrounding nations, nearly restoring the former glory of the Roman Empire. In addition to these contributions, Justinian also made advances with the Christian Church and Byzantine architecture.
The Ottoman Empire were Muslims and included Hungary, Syria, Egypt, Bulgaria, and Albania, and they marched on land. The Ottoman Empire is said to have first appeared somewhere around the 1300’s, and can be related to the decline of the Byzantine Empire. They began conquering Christian lands and by the late 1600’s all Christians were afraid of the “terrible Turk”. It is no wonder that many other people were afraid of the Ottoman Empire since they seem to be really rather powerful and they conquered a lot of land. It was in the 1330’s when the Morroccan Abu Abdallah Ibn Battuta passed through Constantinople and became impressed with the Ottomans who seemed to be gaining power rather quickly, he noticed that they had close to 100 forts and
The religion of Islam spread and the Franks rose to power (The Reign of Justinian). Among other things, Justinian’s rule saw a flourishment in the areas of architecture, the arts, and literature. It was a time of re-building for the empire. Justinian pursued an ambitious dream of restoring the old Roman Empire. In fact, Justinian led the Byzantine army in many wars to regain this land.
Architecture is one important aspect of Byzantine culture. One of the most famous Byzantine architectural achievements is the Hagia Sophia, which is located in modern-day Istanbul. The basic design of the cathedral has a dome over a square base, which required a new innovation. At the time, it was kn...
During the 5th century, the Roman Empire lost its western territories leaving only the Byzantine Empire remaining. In 565 A.D., Byzantine’s emperor, Justinian I, and his wife Theodora, expanded territory from Constantinople into parts of Europe, Asia and Africa in attempt to recover western land and re-create the Roman Empire. Although Justinian’s advances were shot-lived, the Byzantine Empire’s economic base continued to grow under his rule. For instance, trade was plentiful, silk production was often stolen from China and both the military and economy were superior compared to other empires. However, over time, the Byzantine Empire fell because of the major civil wars in 1321 and 1341, the crusades and ultimately the Ottoman Turk’s takeover.
Much of past civilizations have endured many failures and triumphs throughout their existence. In the third century, there were many civilizations that started to flourish. One of these civilizations that started to expand was the Byzantine civilization. The Byzantine civilization, also regarded as Byzantium, was part of the Roman Empire which was divided in 395 AD. Byzantium had shared the same attitude, as the Roman Empire, toward exercising its authority over its citizens and throughout its empire. The Islamic civilization had started thrive in the fifth century. The Islamic civilization was unified together as unison by Islam and it has expanded its civilization throughout parts of Europe through jihad. Because of their expansions throughout parts of Europe, they shared various similarities which include their political system, social structure, and economy.
The Byzantine mosaic was an early Christian predecessor whereby it clear cuts the religious tales drawn from the bible. There was a combination of forces between the political and religious authority which gave the emperor power over the architecture and art of Byzantine Empire. The Roman Empire was collapsing due to the interruption by German tribes hence they were not able to teach manners and morals according to the artistic and cultural ways of the mosaics hence they were unable to determine art of the early Christianity while the art of Byzantine
By the year 323, Constantine had brought the entire Roman Empire under his rule. At this time, a quarrel threatened the division of Christi...