Download
1 / 18
E N D
Post-Classical:Byzantine Empire In this unit, you will learn about the chain of events that were set in motion by the fall of the Roman Empire in 476 A.D. The eastern part of the Roman Empire survived and became the Byzantine Empire. In the west, Rome’s fall brought the turmoil of the early Middle Ages. To end the chaos, kings, nobles, and peasants developed the feudal system. In addition, you will learn about the rise and spread of the Islamic religion and the emergence of advanced civilizations in West Africa. Finally you will study events in Asia in this period and even beyond, including the rise of the Ottoman and Mongol Empires. Timeline of Post-Classical: (2nd Six wks) Byzantine Empire: Unit 4 (quiz)Medieval Asia & Africa: Unit 5 (quiz and test) Medieval Europe: Unit 6 (quiz and test) Renaissance and Reformation: Unit 7 (Quiz only) (test is 3rd Six Wks.)
Essential Questions Post-Classical: Byzantine Empire • What were the main characteristics of the Byzantine Empire? • What factors led to the Byzantine Empire to last another 1,000 years past the fall of Rome? • What were the accomplishments of the Byzantine Empire?
Post-Classical: Vocab • Byzantine Empire • Constantinople • Eastern Orthodoxy • Code of Justinian
Post-Classical: The Byzantine Empire: Important Ideas In the East, the Byzantine Empire emerged with its center at Constantinople. It was to last for almost 1,000 years. Emperor Justinian brought together Roman laws into a comprehensive legal code. After the fall of the Roman Empire, Western Europe descended into a period of chaos. Different tribes set up separate kingdoms. Waves of invaders kept Western Europe in turmoil. Cities fell into decay and much of the learning of the ancient world was lost.
Post-Classical: Byzantine Concept Map Unit 4 Concept Map: • Had a patriarch • Code of Justinian
The Byzantine Empire (330-1453 A.D.) People in the earliest human societies were hunter gatherers. They did not know how to grow their own food. Instead, they relied on hunting, fishing, and gathering wild plants for food. They learned to make fires and spears with pieces of bone or stone, and to make canoes and boats out of logs. Because these people made tools of stone, historians refer to these early societies as Stone Age cultures. Over thousands of years, Stone Age peoples also learned to make clay pottery and domesticate (tame) dogs. Early humans spent most of their time hunting for food. They migrated to areas where good – nuts, berries, fruits, grains and especially herds of wild animals – could be found. During the Ice Age, people migrated out of Africa to other parts of the world. Eventually, people even migrated to the Americas and Australia. Wherever people went, they showed great ingenuity in adapting to local conditions. In 330 A.D., Emperor Constantine moved the capital of the Roman Empire from Rome to Byzantium, a Greek city in the eastern part of the empire. He renamed this city Constantinople. The city located along land routes that connected Europe and Asia. The city was strategically located on the Bosporus, a water-way connecting the Black Sea to the Mediterranean. Constantinople was surrounded on three sides by water, and the city had thick walls, making it almost invulnerable to attack. About 10,000 years ago, one of the great turning points in history occurred. People began to change from hunters and gatherers to producers of food. Two important developments brought about this change: people learned how to grow food and how to herd animals. Anthropologists believe this change first occurred in parts of the Middle East, where wild wheat and barley were plentiful. People noticed they could spread the seeds of these grains to plant and grow their own crops. They also learned how to herd farm animals such as goats, sheep and cattle. These advances are now referred to as the Neolithic Revolution. Wherever agriculture was introduced, people no longer had to wander in search of food. Instead, they could build permanent homes and villages and establish a fixed way of life. Populations grew. Although the emergence of agricultural societies is believed to have first occurred in Southwest Asia, it also took place independently at later times in SE Asia, Africa and the Americas. Benefits and Problems: People cold grow more food than they had been able to gather or hunt, but they were also more vulnerable to attack by other peoples. Thus changes in economics – how these people met their needs for food and shelter – led to social and political changes. The introduction of agriculture and settlements led to the emergence of two new social classes: warrior and priests. Defense of the village became a major concern, resulting in the emergence of a warrior class. A priesthood emerged to conduct religious rituals in order to promote a good harvest and to protect the village from danger. The Hunter-Gatherers The Neolithic Revolution A Byzantine Culture Emerges: While the western half of the Roman Empire collapsed in the 5th century, the eastern half of the empire survived for another thousand years. The Byzantines saw themselves as simply continuing the Roman Empire. Like the emperors of Rome, the Byzantine emperors continued to be all-powerful. They maintained an imperial system of government over a diverse population. Because Constantinople was in the East, most of its merchants and other residents spoke Greek. At first, the official language of government remained Latin, but it also eventually was replaced by Greek.
Reasons for the Survival of the Byzantine Empire: cont. There were several reasons why the Byzantine Empire survived as one of the most powerful economic, cultural and military forces in Europe. The Byzantines developed a vibrant culture. They built the Hagia Sophia with its dome and tall spires. Schools taught ancient Greek texts. Byzantine artists used precious classical images. They were especially known for their colorful icons and mosaics. The size of the Byzantine Empire varied over time. In its early centuries, it ruled over the Balkan Peninsula. Under Justinian (527-565A.D.) One of the greatest achievements of the empire was the Code of Justinian. Emperor Justinian took all Roman laws and organized them into a single code. This brought about a school of law. Location: At the crossroads of Europe and Asia, Constantinople was a major center for trade. Silks and spices from the East, furs from Russia, and grains, olives and wines from the empire itself brought great wealth. Classical Cultures: Byzantium benefitted from the rich infusion of Greek, Roman, Christian, and Middle Eastern cultures. BYZANTINE EMPIRE SURVIVAL Strong Central Government: Byzantium was ruled by a series of powerful emperors with a strong centralized administration and a single set of laws. Large Army: The Byzantine central government taxed merchants and peasants to support a large standing army.
The Byzantine Empire: Eastern Orthodox ChurchThe First Break from the Roman Catholic Church ACTING AS AN AMATEUR HISTORIAN Hammurabi’s Code treated nobles and commoners differently. Some of the Code’s provisions punished criminals quite harshly: How did the penalty a nobleman faced for putting out the eys of a nobleman or a commoner differ? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ The Byzantines were also united by their own form of Christianity – Eastern Orthodoxy – which was separate from the Catholic Church. Orthodox Christians did not recognize the Pope as the head of their church. Instead they had their own Patriarch. Orthodox Christians decorated their churches with icons – images of Jesus and the saints. They were also other differences, such as views on the Trinity and the shape of the cross they displayed in their churches. Eastern Orthodox Church Patriarch Eastern Orthodox Church Icon Eastern Orthodox Church Architecture 195: If a son strikes his father, his hands shall be [cut] off. 196: If a [noble] man puts out the eye of another [noble] man, his eye shall be put out. 197: If he breaks another [noble] man’s bone, his bone shall be broken. 198: If he puts out the eye of a [commoner], he shall pay one [silver] mina.
Byzantine Empire: cont. ACTING AS AN AMATEUR HISTORIAN Read the following document from the Code of Justinian. Then answer the questions that follow: What legal principle do all three sections above share? ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Why was the Code of Justinian such an important legal advance? ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ The Code of Justinian • You must {determine} the proof necessary to establish the fact that you are entitled to the money which you {claim} you have deposited. Emperor Antoninus, 156 A.D. • He before whom proceedings are brought shall order public documents, both civil and criminal, to be produced, for the purpose of being examined, in order to {judge} • to judge the truth. Emperor Severus , 193 A.D. • Persons who wish to bring an accusation must have evidence, for the law does not permit a party to inspect the documents of the other side. Therefore, if the plaintiff does • not prove his allegations, the defendant shall be discharged, even if he furnishes no evidence. Emperor Antoninus, 223 A.D.
Byzantine Empire: cont. The late Byzantine Empire continuously batted the Slavs and Avars to the north, the Persian Empire to the east and the spread of Islam in the Middle East. You will learn more about the rise of Islam in later chapters. The empire declined further in the 11th century. The Seljuk Turks, originally from Central Asia, defeated the Byzantine army in 1071 and took possession of most of Asia Minor. Crusaders attacked the city in 1204. City-States in Italy began to compete with Constantinople for Mediterranean trade. Yet the Byzantines still controlled the Balkan Peninsula and survived for another 400 years. Their empire eventually unraveled from continuous attacks on all sides. By the 1440’s the Byzantine Empire was reduced to a small area just around the city of Constantinople itself. In 1453, Constantinople was finally conquered by the Ottoman Turks. The Decline of the Empire Influence on Russia One place that was greatly influenced by Byzantium was Russia. Russia emerged as a state in the 9th century, in the forest lands between the Baltic and Black Seas. Viking raiders organized Slavs in the region into a kingdom centered in Kiev. Other Russian cities, such as Moscow and Novgorod, developed to the north. Early Russian cities carried on a brisk trade with the Byzantine Empire. Contact with the Byzantines affected Russia in many ways. Byzantine culture – especially Orthodox Christianity, the Cyrillic alphabet, and Byzantine crafts and products – was introduced into Russian society. The Byzantines also converted other Slavic peoples and the Bulgars to Christianity, leaving a permanent legacy in Eastern Europe.
Byzantine Empire Legacy: cont Code of Justinian: Emperor Justinian consolidated Roman laws into a single legal code which served as a guide on most legal questions. It greatly influenced later Western legal systems. Preserved Ancient Cultures: The Byzantines preserved the rich cultural heritage of classical civilization, including Greek philosophy and science and Roman engineering. Copies of ancient texts were saved despite destruction in the West. ACTING AS AN AMATEUR HISTORIAN Research the economic, political, cultural, and religious influences of the Byzantine Empire on Russia and other countries in Eastern Europe. Then write a short paragraph summarizing the information you have found. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ THE BYZANTINE LEGACY New Form of Christianity: Eastern Orthodox Christianity was led by the Patriarch and the emperor in Constantinople, rather than the Pope in Rome. The Arts: The Byzantines were renowned for their mosaics, painted icons, gold jewelry, and silks. Constantinople’s cathedral, Hagia Sophia, is considered one of the world’s most beautiful buildings.
Preserved Ancient Cultures Code of Justinian The Byzantine Legacy New Form of Christianity The Arts
Justinian & Theodora 1. Contrast the picture of Justinian found in each excerpt from Procopius. 2. How do you explain these two different views? 3. What does Procopius most dislike about Empress Theodora? 4. What were some possible reasons why Buildings was published while Procopius was alive, and The Secret History was not?
