Introduction to Byzantium

Tibor K, Leonor B, Hareen C, Jeremy K


Welcome to Byzantium, a whole new world, with many great attractions. Some of these attractions happen to be the Hagia Sophia and the Hippodrome. These are some of the biggest successes that Constantinople has ever achieved.

A Brief History:
Constantine had ruled the Roman Empire for a long time and decided to change the capital city. This new city was given two names, Byzantium and Constantinople. The definition of Constantinople is 'the city of Constantine.' Since Rome was inspired by Greece, Greek was made the main language. Constantine was not only the founder of Constantinople, but he was also once a great ruler in Rome, making the two cities connected and similar. Unlike the other Roman cities, Constantinople stood firm and survived most of it's attacks. Therefore, when visiting Constantinople, tourists can have no doubts on the safety.

Byzantium's Achievements:
Constantine wanted to make his city beautiful, so he decided to build several monuments that would improve the geography, religion, and government of the city. Constantine built this wonderful city in about 300 A.D. Some of Byzantium's greatest achievements were the invention of the sewage system, the Hagia Sophia and the Hippodrome.

What Are We Going To Visit:
In this trip we will be visiting the Hippodrome, Constantinople and the Eastern Orthodox Church. When traveling there you could see Byzantium's wonderful creations and new systems. You could also visit our church, where you'll learn about the wonderful religion. Constantinople also owns nice hotels and inns to rest while visiting.

Citations:
"History of the Byzantine Empire." www.historyworld.net. 1997. 12 Feb. 2009
.

Religion in Byzantium

If there is no religion in the Byzantium there is no Byzantium either. Find out how this religion affects the Byzantine Empire.

"Orthodox" is derived from two Greek words, orthos (meaning right) and doxa (meaning teaching). All together it means "in agreement with right belief." The medieval Eastern Orthodox Church was based on a set of beliefs that is leaders traced back to Jesus Christ and to the work of bishops in early Christian councils. This church was the central role in daily life. Most people attended church regularly. Religious sacraments gave shape to every stage of the journey from birth to death.

Matters between east and west came to a head in 1054. The patriarch of Constantinople, Cerularius, wanted to reassert Byzantine control of the church. He closed all churches that worshiped with western service. Pope Leo IX was angry. He sent Cardinal Humbert to Constantinople. The cardinal marched up to the altar of Hagia Sophia. In front of everyone, he laid down a bull excommunicating Cerularius, Cerularius responded by excommunication the cardinal. This was only a symbolic act, for the patriarch did not have that power. But it showed that the split, between east and west was complete. Even though future attempts to heal the division, the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church were now separate churches.

In Hippodrome was also use for the religious festivals. So in Christmas or Easter people are singing, dancing, and playing in this area. The Hippodrome for the citizens was the place where they could have fun.

Information from:

"Constantinople." The New Book of Knowledge®. 2009. Grolier Online. 2 Mar. 2009 .

Coleman-Norton, P. R. "Hippodrome." Encyclopedia Americana. 2009. Grolier Online. 2 Mar. 2009 .

Princess of Romania, Ileana,. "Eastern Orthodox Churches." The New Book of Knowledge®. 2009. Grolier Online. 2 Mar. 2009 .

Pictures from:

Ancient House. 3 Mar. 2009 . .

I Hate Poetry. 3 Mar. 2009 .

Jasonberns. 3 Mar. 2009 .

Uriltarianism Resources . 3 Mar. 2009 .

Geography In Byzantium

Geography is an important factor in the Byzantine empire. Each monument and place has its unique location and features. Read on to find out how each of these locations relate to the geography.

Constantinople was founded in 342 by Constantine I. The capital has a great geographical significance. It is surrounded on three sides by water, making it easy and well defended. It is located right between the Black Sea and the entrance to the Mediterranean Sea. In this way, all trade routes from Asia, Europe, and Northern Africa pass through Constantinople. Thanks to this location, Constantinople became one of the wealthiest, richest cities in all of Byzantine Empire. It's become a natural crossroad for trading,and like today it grew richer and richer. Constantinople is one of the main attractions to visitors.

The Hippodrome is a famous landmark located in the center of Constantinople, the Byzantine Empire. The earliest Hippodrome was placed in Greece, but the one currently sitting in Constantinople is the most famous. This monument has caught the attention of millions of citizens, with its well-known chariot race events. Still it is not only used as a sporting event, but also as a center for the encountering of the citizens and the government intended for political discussions. This landmark is a great appeal in the center of the elegant city of Constantinople.

The Eastern Orthodox Church or Hagia Sophia, is one of the most beautiful Christian Churches in the Byzantine Empire. The church was built in Constantinople, next to the area where the imperial palace was being developed and next to the smaller church Hagia Eirene. The church became the center of religious life in Byzantine Empire as well as the center of Christianity in the Eastern Orthodox. The Eastern Orthodox Church, or Hagia Sophia is probably the most famous landmark in the Byzantine Empire, and its beauty attracts a lot outsiders.

Citations:

“Geography.” Byzantine Empire. 16 Feb. 2009 .

Treadgold, Warren. “The Roman-Byzantine Period.” Byzantine Empire. 16 Feb. 2009 .

Picture Citations:

www.google.com. 2 Mar. 2009 imgres?imgurl=http://www.biblestudy.org/maps/
byzantine-empire-large-map.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.biblestudy.org/maps/
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historyrockscom.wordpress.com/.../. 2 Mar. 2009 91/
Map_of_Constantinople_(1422)_by_Florentine_cartographer_Cristoforo_Buondelmonte.j
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Government In Byzantium

Government is a significant aspect of the Byzantine Empire. Find out how these features relate to the government of Byzantium.



The Eastern Orthodox Church is the main church that the Byzantines worshiped at because it was located in Constantinople, where it was very crowded. When Constantine built his empire, as much as he wanted the church to be a center for religion, he wanted it to be a place that government was treated equally. It was a good place for the emperor who currently had the rule, because he was not only treated as a governmental leader, but he was thought of as a god, Jesus Christ. Governmental religion was a one-of-a-kind belief and the Byzantines made it work well, yet nowadays there is barely any connection between the two.

Vanni, Ruggero. "The Eastern Orthodox Church." History Alive! 2005.


Government officials often would meet together in designated places that would be used for governmental discussions, such as municipal building or town hall. Yet, often politicians would even meet each other at a sporting event like chariot races. Yes, officials even met each other at the Hippodrome occasionally. While they would be watching races, or brawls, they could be discussing political issues and problems. The groups were officially sponsored and supported by political parties called "demes". These groups were named after colors Venetii (blue), Prasinoi (greens), Rousioi (reds), Leukoi (whites). The Whites and Reds gradually became less popular, and the Blues and the Greens formed a rivalry.

"Hippodrome of Constantinople." Wikipedia.org. 2009. 12 Feb. 2009


Constantinople had one of the best governments of the time because it was by far the best city at its height. The excellent government was financed by the city's wealth. After the rebellion of the Blues and Greens, Justinian reformed the government and called it the Justinian's Code. Heraclius, a ruler of Constantinople, who came after Justinian considered changing the government of Constantinople forever, because he would have moved it to North Africa. Government of Constantinople was by far one of the greatest and most powerful, yet it was at risk because of a slight bad idea from a inexperienced ruler.

"Byzantium:The Shining Fortress." uoregon.edu. 16 Feb. 2009

PIC: traumwerk.stanford.edu/philolog/2006/01/. 2 Mar. 2009
PIC: http://z.about.com/d/atheism/1/0/X/G/ConstHippodrome-l.jpg. 3 Mar. 2009
PIC: http://traumwerk.stanford.edu/philolog/Justinian.jpg. 3 Mar. 2009