Political: Constantinople, the new Rome, was the
capital of the Byzantine Empire located at the crossroads of east and west in
the North West corner of Anatolia. The Byzantine Empire was a theocratic state.
The emperor had the complete support of the Eastern Orthodox Church. This
relationship was known as Caesaropapism. He served as both the “Caesar” or head of
state as well as the pope or head of church. The emperor would appoint leaders
of the church, who then in turn would appoint bishops and priests all over the
empire, effectively acting as the government’s bureaucrats. The Kievan Rus at
the time occupied the modern region of Ukraine and Western Russia. It was led
by a prince, Vladimir, upon its conversion to Eastern Orthodoxy. It borrowed
heavily from its Orthodox neighbor, from its arts and architecture, to its uses
of icons and traditions. Moscow was being bred as the third Rome.
Economical: Because of
its prime position at the crossroads of the eastern and western worlds, the
Byzantine Empire was a hub of trade. Constantinople, the capital, was the end
point of the Silk Road. It is here that goods coming from as far as China would
be distributed all over Europe. They also personally controlled the Eastern
Mediterranean sea routes, evoking echoes of the old trading empire of the
Ancient and Classical Greeks. The Rus on the other hand also traded, in this
instance with the Vikings to the north and the Byzantines themselves.
Domestically, they were very agrarian.
Constantinople relative to the rest of the silk road
Religion: The Byzantine Empire developed its own
unique brand of Christianity distinct of that in Rome. Once Rome fell in 476
C.E., it was up to Constantinople to carry on the torch and legacy of Jesus
Christ. The Eastern Orthodox Church’s leader was the emperor as well as the
pope. One of the differences between Eastern Orthodoxy and its Catholic brother
is that they do not believe that the decedents of Adam and Eve are guilty of
the original sin. They also believe that all people in heaven, whether their
names are known or not, are all saints. The Eastern Orthodox cross is a
variation of the Christian Cross, with three beams instead of one. The top beam
has Jesus Christ’s name inscribed upon it. and the bottom representing the
footrest.
The Eastern Orthodox Cross with its additional beams
Society: The Byzantine
Empire was built upon the foundations of a former civilization of its own, so
much of its social structure and customs derive from Greeks. When the Byzantine
Empire was stretched over foreign lands, such as Egypt and Palestine, local
customs were usually dominant. Generally across the board men held a higher
position in both the household and in class itself. Slavery was present, most
coming from mainland Eastern Europe. The usually worked in the home and the
entire practice of slavery was tolerated by the Eastern Orthodox Church.
Innovation: The
Byzantine Empire played a huge role in transferring knowledge from the Arabs to
the Western World. Byzantine science and math is essentially classical Greek
science and math being reintroduced to the western world. Much of the knowledge
of Euclid, Pythagoras, and Thales had been thought to be lost after the fall of
Rome, but had really been preserved by the Arabs. The Byzantines convenient
location at the crossroads between east and west left it in a prime position to
absorb and distribute this knowledge back to the western world. Byzantines
considered themselves Romans, but spoke and wrote Greek. Much of their
philosophy was based off of classical Greek philosophy as well.
An Arab manuscript explaining the Pythagorean
Theorem. It was writings like these that helped the Byzantines reacquire Greek
knowledge.
Arts and Architecture: Byzantine art was mainly
religious, evolving from its Roman Catholic predecessor. Artwork depicted
numerous different Christian scenes and icons. The scenes are similar, but
distinct from those of the Catholic world. Features were depicted differently
and the use of icons was even more prevalent. Architecture began looking
similar to that of Rome, with its use of domes, pillars, and mosaics. In
Russia, an onion shape dome was adopted to keep snow from accumulating and
caving in roofs. The most famous of these can be seen at the top of St. Basil’s
Basilica in Moscow.
Near Geography: In
1453, Constantinople, the successor to Rome, fell to the Ottoman Turks. This
lead to a migration of Byzantines out of Anatolia and into mainland Europe.
They took their culture and customs with them. Today this can be seen vividly
in both Russia and Greece. The Byzantines played a critical role during its
tenure on top. Their location made it key for the exchange of goods from east
to west. The fall of Constantinople led the Western Europeans to search for an
alternative route to the Indies, which led to Columbus’ discovery of America.
The outer defensive walls of the city of
Constantinople being breached by the Turks.