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://traumwerk.stanford.edu/philolog/Justinian.jpg. 3 Mar. 2009
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