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
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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 .