How Did The Byzantines Conquer Other Empires

Silk soon became an imperial monopoly, and through this way, the trade of luxury items became the Byzantine’s main source of income. The location of Constantinople also aided in military conquest and defence, for the empire’s naval headquarters were located along the shores, and had access to the Black Sea and Mediterranean. Because of the Empire’s location, all but overlapping the fallen Roman’s territory, the Byzantine Empire was greatly affected by these Roman’s past traditions and ways of life.

Greek fire was a weapon system that allowed Byzantine ships, as early as the seventh century, to spew fire at

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Though both had similar roots, they both took these similar bases & formed it into their own way. Both the Byzantine Empire and Ancient Roman have similar aspects, but each one made it unique. To better understand the similarities and differences of the Byzantine Empire and Ancient Romans one must look at each civilization’s cultural ideas, religion, & dependence on lower class.

The Byzantine emperor had to be ordained and was head of the church and state. Military expansion was greater in the Abbasid government than in the Byzantine. The Abbasids spread out through North Africa, Persia, and of course, Arabia. The Byzantines, who were based in Constantinople, were pretty much where the Roman Empire previously was. Throughout time, there were more than a few times when the Byzantines had conflicts with each other. The Abbasids frequently invaded the Byzantines and

The Byzantine Empire and Western Europe originally were part of the Roman Empire, but by the middle Ages(medieval times), they were very different, even though they did share some common traits, but by the 300's, the Byzantine Empire had far surpassed Western Europe in trade and economics and political unity, while both empires were having arguments over religion.

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

The Byzantine Empire followed the Roman Empire, and it, also, seems meager in comparison. It had evolved from the Roman Empire, and because it was in the late stage that it was in, land had been lost, so in terms of size, the Roman Empire was superior to the Byzantine. The empire wasn t strong, either. At the start, the first ruler, Justinian, attempted to reconquer Roman lands, but in doing so, left his own land in ruins, and his conquests were lost right after his death. The Empire faced many enemies and was threatened constantly by them. Eventually, all land was lost except for the Constantinople, the rich and powerful capital city, and the land surrounding it.

Following the decline of the Western Roman Empire in 476 CE, a new empire rose up in the ashes. This new empire, the Byzantine Empire, was a culmination of Western Roman cultures and tradition, yet, it also contains many distinctive features. Originating from the same empire, the two empires display similar cultural roots.

People say that the Byzantine Empire is compared to an accordion. Well, it is. Comparing all of the civilizations and empires we learned about, I find that the Byzantine has a history, where people living in that empire rise at on time and fall inconsiderably during another time. The Byzantine Empire is an empire ruled by Emperor Justantine, and Constantinople was the imperial capital of the Byzantine world until it was invaded by the Turks in 1453. Now, how does the imperial capital, Constantinople, Hagia Sophia, Justinian, and the Crusaders involve in the Byzantine Empire? I find that geography and the achievements of the Empire can be two strong reasoning’s on how and why we should study the Byzantine Empire.

In 324, the Byzantine empire is created in Constantinople from the ashes of the fallen Roman empire. Around 200 years later, Emperor Justinian would take the throne in 527 and became one of the most influential rulers. Justinian’s goal was clear, restoration of the glory of the old Roman empire. However his goals never came to fruition as he would end up creating a new Byzantine empire. Although Justinian‘s Byzantine was reminiscent of the old Roman Empire in both architecture and territories, Justinian’s Byzantine empire was its own unique empire in that it had a different religion, capital, and women rights.

One reason why the Byzantines should be studied is because they protected Constantinople. In Document B: The Great Ages Of Man , The walls of Constantinople were built to protect the city. Primarily, to prevent attacks from the Huns and other enemies. Also, it was difficult for the invaders to break through the wall because they would face another set of walls and troops. The agriculture advanced and they were well prepared to keep invaders out. This helped aid the process of keeping Christianity alive.

The major cultural achievements was the preservation of the Greek language and culture. Greek ethics and science became the foundation of the Western Civilization. In the Byzantine Empire they preserved the Ancient Greek literature scribes. Homer ~ The iliad and the Odyssey are among most widely read poems in American and European schools and colleges today. Sophocles ~ Theatrical plays, including Oedipus Rex, helped to define a form of literature called tragedy. Socrates ~ Known to us through the writings of Plato and others, Socrates crafted a form of inquiry and debate, called the Socratic Method, that is used in classrooms today. It features questions rather than answers. Plato ~ One of Plato’s works, The Republic, describes an ideal society and explores the importance of justice in that society. Aristotle ~ His many scientific and philosophical writings advanced the use of logic and scientific thought. Euclid ~ He made inquires into astronomy, music, and mathematics. Regarded as the father of geometry. Hippocrates ~ His medical works and his ethical standards led to the still- used Hippocratic Oath taken by all doctors. Originally the language of the Byzantine Empire was Latin until 700 CE when it was changed to Greek by Emperor Heraclius. The culture of Constantinople was diverse. The Byzantine Empire had an important cultural legacy, both on the Orthodox Church and on the revival of Greek and Roman

The Byzantine Empire, though often forgotten among better-known empires, such as the Roman Empire, ran for nearly one thousand years, occupying the eastern half of what once was the Roman Empire. It engaged in trade, expansion, and decades of warfare. It also gave women a better status then men, valued and preserved Greek history, and eventually fell to the Ottomans.

In this course, we have learned about three medieval worlds that existed in regions bordering the Mediterranean Sea: the Latin-Christian-ruled world, the Byzantine-ruled world, and the Muslim ruled world. Some historians argue that all of these worlds were really part of one larger Mediterranean Cultural world, while others argue that each world was actually very different. I stand on the side of separate but connected in this debate. The extent that these three worlds were similar politically was the constant power struggles, Culturally the connection through trade, and Religiously their prevalent worship of god. The extent were they different politically was their diplomatic/war relations, Culturally their language and arts, and Religiously how they practiced their religion.