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Late Antiquity

Late Antiquity. Western Civilization University High School. Late Antiquity. 3rd century: Western Roman Empire begins to crumble last emperor deposed in 476 CE western Europe largely in control of barbarian tribes ancient world  medieval world. …and the Eastern Roman Empire?.

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Late Antiquity

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  1. Late Antiquity Western Civilization University High School

  2. Late Antiquity • 3rd century: Western Roman Empire begins to crumble • last emperor deposed in 476 CE • western Europe largely in control of barbarian tribes • ancient world  medieval world

  3. …and the Eastern Roman Empire? • survives; transitions into Byzantine Empire • named after Byzantium (old name for Constantinople) • called themselves “Roman Empire” (“Romania”)

  4. Byzantine Empire • centered further east than traditional Roman Empire • culture more Greek than Roman • more Greek spoken than Latin • Christianity more central in Byzantine Empire

  5. Byzantine Empire • but still, they considered themselves Romans • traced emperor line back: Augustus  Constantine  current emperor • even same chariot factions!

  6. Why Didn’t ERE Fall To Barbarian Tribes Like WRE? • excellent military strategy, leadership • powerful geographic location of Constantinople

  7. Why Is This A Good Place For A Powerful City?

  8. Why Is This A Good Place For A Powerful City?

  9. Why Is This A Good Place For A Powerful City?

  10. Constantinople • surrounded by massive series of stone walls • construction began under Constantine • entirely surrounded city (land & water) • problems: earthquakes, population growth • Theodosian Walls: 2nd series of walls, larger city perimeter

  11. Theodosian Walls

  12. Sea Walls • walls built along coastline • ship-wrecking chain stretched across harbor on floating barrels • quick current

  13. Justinian I (Justinian the Great) • Byzantine emperor from 527-565 CE • goal: restore Roman Empire to dominance, reclaim WRE • reclaimed some lost lands, even claimed some new lands… • Lazica land on eastern Black Sea (Laz People!)

  14. Justinian I (Justinian the Great) • greatest accomplishment? (probably not reclaiming Italy…) • Roman law was a mess by now • enormous number of laws, contradictory, confusing, outdated, repetitive

  15. Justinian I (Justinian the Great) • Justinian leads effort to codify, condense, and clarify Roman law  Corpus JurisCivilis • translation: “body of civil law”

  16. An Excerpt From Corpus Juris Civilis • “Roman citizens unite in legal marriage when they are joined according to the precepts of the law, and males have attained the age of puberty and the females are capable of childbirth … if the latter have also the consent of the relatives under whose authority they may be, for this should be obtained and both civil and natural law required that is should be secured.”

  17. An Excerpt From Corpus Juris Civilis • “The Julian law declares that wives have no right to bring criminal accusations for adultery against their husbands, even though they may desire to complain of the violation of the marriage vow, for while the law grants this privilege to men it does not concede it to women.”

  18. Plague of Justinian • outbreak of bubonic plague in Constantinople in 541-542 CE • infectious disease usually passed by rodents, fleas • kills 2 out of 3 people within 48 hours

  19. Plague of Justinian • comes from Greek “bubo” meaning “swollen gland” • swollen lymph nodes, fever, chills, muscle cramps, seizures, changing skin color, inflammation of lungs, bleeding from ears (black blood!)

  20. Plague of Justinian • probably arrived on trading ships from Egypt • 10,000+ dying in Constantinople each day? • no room for bodies; corpses stacked in streets • greatly weakened Byzantine Empire

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