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  • The Byzantine Empire > The Early Middle Ages and Islam
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          3. The Byzantine Empire

          Talking Book
              
          image
          The Byzantine Empire under Justinian the Great
          The Eastern Roman Empire, known as the Byzantine Empire, resisted the Germanic invasions and survived the fall of its western counterpart. However, as time passed, the area it controlled gradually became smaller due to pressure from the Muslims in the east and from the Slavs in the north.
          Weblink 1. Biography of Constantine the Great

          3.1. The origins and expansion of the Byzantine Empire

          Talking Book

          Emperor Theodosius I had divided the Roman Empire in 395 A.D. He made Byzantium the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire. Byzantium was later known as Constantinople. It was strategically located on the Bosphorus Strait, between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean, and was the largest city in Europe for many centuries.

          The Byzantine Empire grew to its maximum size during the reign of Justinian the Great (527–565 A.D.). His general Belisarius defeated the Vandals and Ostrogoths, and conquered the Italian Peninsula and parts of North Africa. The Byzantines also occupied the south of the Iberian Peninsula, where they established a province called Spania, whose capital was Cartagena.

          From the 7th to the 10th century, the Byzantine Empire gradually lost its power and territories to other peoples:

          • to the Neo-Persian Empire in the east.
          • to the Arabs, who conquered more than half of the Byzantine Empire (Syria, Palestine and Egypt) in the 7th century. They also besieged its capital on various occasions.
          • to the Slavs. During the 9th and 10th centuries, the Bulgarians defeated the Byzantines and established an empire which included nearly the whole of the Balkan Peninsula. However, eventually the Byzantines defeated the Bulgarians and subdued them in 1018.

          3.2. The political structure

          Talking Book
          Did you know?

          The most popular form of entertainment in Constantinople was the chariot races in the hippodrome, which could hold more than 50000 spectators. The two main teams were the blues and the greens, and each one had many fans. As well as sporting rivalry, there were political differences between the teams and violent clashes between them were common.

          Power was greatly centralised: the Byzantine emperor, or basileus, was the highest political and religious authority. The empire was controlled by officials and a powerful army, in which mercenaries (soldiers who fought in exchange for money) played an important role. The empire was divided into provinces called themes, and each was controlled by a governor, or stratego.

          During the reign of Justinian the Great, a legal code was compiled (the Codex Justinianus), which was based on Roman law.

          3.3. The economy

          Talking Book

          The Byzantine Empire's economy was based on arable and livestock farming on large estates, or latifundia.

          Trade was very important, since the Byzantine Empire was at the crossroads of trade routes between Europe and Asia and between Europe and Africa. Leather, ivory, perfume, precious stones, slaves and spices arrived there from distant lands.

          Craftsmanship developed greatly. Manufactured products, gold and silver products (produced by smiths working with precious metals), fabrics, silks and upholstery (furniture covered with fabrics and leather) were produced and exported.

          image

          Justinian the Great and Theodora in Constantinople

          3.4. Society

          Talking Book

          In Byzantine society there was a deep divide between the landowning nobility and the majority of the population, who were poor peasants. Both the emperor and the Byzantine nobility imposed high taxes on their subjects, so there was great discontent among the majority of the population.

          The development of trade resulted in a busy city life, especially in the capital, where the government officials, traders and craftsmen lived.

          Video 5. Emperor Justinian

          3.5. Culture and religion

          Talking Book
          In many ways, Byzantine culture was a continuation of Roman civilisation: in law, administration and the Christian religion. However, the main language was Greek.

          Culture in the Byzantine Empire

          The Byzantine Empire developed a spectacular culture. This resulted from the combination of Greek, Roman and eastern elements. Greek was the most widely spoken language, and in the 7th century it replaced Latin as the empire's official language.

          One of the main contributions of Byzantine culture was the compilation of works and scientific treatises from Classical Greek culture, and their transmission to other peoples, such as the Slavs.

          Byzantine religion

          Political and religious power were unified. The emperor was considered the protector of eastern Christians. The Byzantine Empire was intolerant towards other religions. Practising other religions was prohibited and Christians who did not follow official doctrine were persecuted.

          Between the 8th and 9th centuries, the Iconoclastic Wars took place. They began when some of the Byzantine emperors prohibited the cult of religious images, as they believed that this went against the teachings of the Bible. After centuries of conflict, the images were eventually maintained.

          The Byzantine missionaries converted the Slavic peoples that had settled to the north of the empire in Eastern Europe to Christianity. In the 10th century, the adaptation of the Greek alphabet to the Slavic languages resulted in the Cyrillic alphabet.

          During the first few centuries, Christians from the east and west were unified. The bishops of each area made decisions in meetings called councils. This is how they came to agreements when there were differences of opinion regarding religious matters. However, differences soon appeared between the Christians from each region.

          The official head of the Christian Church was the Pope (the Bishop of Rome). However, the city of Rome had lost its political importance and Constantinople had become the largest Christian city. In 1054, differences in opinion between Pope Leo IX and the Patriarch Michael I (the Bishop of Constantinople) resulted in a division of the church known as the Great Schism.

          Consequently, Western Europe remained loyal to Rome's authority, and Eastern Europe to the authority of the Patriarch of Constantinople. The eastern Christian church became known as the Orthodox Church.
          Video 6. San Vitale
          Talking Book

          BYZANTINE ART

           

          Byzantine painting and mosaics

          Byzantine art is characterised by rich decoration. Mosaics, paintings, icons and sculptures were produced. They shared the following characteristics:

          • the use of flat bright colours.
          • rigidity, frontal poses and a lack of expressiveness in the figures they portrayed.
          • religious themes and the glorification of the emperor.

          After the Iconoclastic Wars, icons became popular. These portrayed holy figures (saints, the Virgin Mary or Christ) surrounded by a nimbus or halo (a circle) on a gold background (a symbol of royalty and divinity), normally on a wooden panel.

           
          image
          Virgin of Vladimir, Byzantine icon from the 12th century
          image
          Mosaic of Theodora in the Basilica of St Vitale, Ravenna: Theodora was a beautiful actress and dancer and was very intelligent. Justinian married her despite her humble background. She played a very active role in his government.
          image
          The Hagia Sophia Basilica (Constantinople): this is the most spectacular monument in Byzantine architecture. It has the largest dome built in the whole of the Middle Ages. This church has a transversal nave called a narthex. Other famous Byzantine churches are the Church of St Sergius and St Bacchus (in Constantinople) and the Basilicas of St Vitale and St Apollinaris in Ravenna (Italy).

           

          Byzantine architecture

          It was characterised by:

          • the use of semi-circular arches.
          • domes (hemispherical covers) placed on pedentives (architectural features that support the dome) and supported by thick buttresses (pillars attached to a wall).
          • the use of the basilica floor plan, which was long in shape with various naves and an apse, and the Greek cross floor plan, with each arm of the same length.

           

          1

          Activity 14
          Remember

          2

          Activity 15
          What names did the Byzantine Empire’s capital have?

          3

          Activity 16
          Describe the Byzantine Empire’s political structure.

          4

          Activity 17
          Understand

          5

          Activity 18
          Apply

          6

          Activity 19
          Analyse

          7

          Activity 20
          Read the text about chariot racing.

          8

          Activity 21
          Remember

          9

          Activity 22
          What were the main internal conflicts that Christianity suffered in this period?

          10

          Activity 23
          Apply

          11

          Activity 24
          What is the difference between the Greek cross and the basilica floor plans?

          12

          Activity 25
          Find out what Constantinople is called nowadays.

          13

          Activity 26
          Analyse

          14

          Activity 27
          Evaluate

          15

          Activity 28
          Nowadays, most Slavic peoples use the Cyrillic alphabet, although some have adopted the Latin alphabet. Find out which Slavic peoples use the Latin alphabet. Why do you think they made this change?

           
          The Byzantine Empire
          The Early Middle Ages and Islam
          Without background sound
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          Activity 14

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          Remember

           

          What was the origin of the Byzantine Empire?

            1 attempt
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          The Byzantine Empire
          The Early Middle Ages and Islam
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          Activity 15

          P

          What names did the Byzantine Empire’s capital have?

            1 attempt
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          The Byzantine Empire
          The Early Middle Ages and Islam
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          Activity 16

          P
          Describe the Byzantine Empire’s political structure.

            1 attempt
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          The Byzantine Empire
          The Early Middle Ages and Islam
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          Activity 17

          P

          Understand

           

          Make a mind map showing the main political, economic and social features of the Byzantine Empire.

          Editor toolbarsBasic Styles Bold Italic Underline Strikethrough Text Color Background ColorParagraph Insert/Remove Numbered List Insert/Remove Bulleted List Decrease Indent Increase Indentparagraph2 Align Left Center Align Right Justify TableClipboard/Undo Undo Redo Insert Horizontal LineInsert Attach file

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          (0 words)

            1 attempt
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          The Byzantine Empire
          The Early Middle Ages and Islam
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          Activity 18

          0/10

          Apply

           

          Look at the map. Which present-day countries correspond to the lands conquered by Justinian?

           

           

          • Great Britain

          • Correct answer
            Wrong answer
          • Northern Morocco

          • Correct answer
            Wrong answer
          • Southern Spain

          • Correct answer
            Wrong answer
          • Switzerland

          • Correct answer
            Wrong answer
          • Argelia

          • Correct answer
            Wrong answer
          • Egypt

          • Correct answer
            Wrong answer
          • Tunisia

          • Correct answer
            Wrong answer
          • North of France

          • Correct answer
            Wrong answer
          • Italy

          • Correct answer
            Wrong answer
          • Malta

          • Correct answer
            Wrong answer
          • Slovenia

          • Correct answer
            Wrong answer
          • South of Norway

          • Correct answer
            Wrong answer
          • Bosnia and Herzegovina

          • Correct answer
            Wrong answer
          • Croatia

          • Correct answer
            Wrong answer

            3 attempts
          Done
          The Byzantine Empire
          The Early Middle Ages and Islam
          Without background sound
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          Activity 19

          P

          Analyse

           

          What were the similarities and differences between society in the Germanic kingdoms and in the Byzantine Empire? What were the most important economic activities in each one?

            Germanic kingdoms Byzantine Empire
          Similarities
          Differences
          Economic activities

            1 attempt
          Done
          The Byzantine Empire
          The Early Middle Ages and Islam
          Without background sound
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          Activity 20

          P

          Read the text about chariot racing.

           
          The most popular form of entertainment in Constantinople was the chariot races in the hippodrome, which could hold more than 50 000 spectators. The two main teams were the blues and the greens and each one had many fans. As well as sporting rivalry, there were political differences between the teams and violent clashes between them were common.
           
          How is it similar to and different from pastimes people enjoy nowadays?

            1 attempt
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          The Byzantine Empire
          The Early Middle Ages and Islam
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          Activity 21

          P

          Remember

           

          What influence did Greek and Roman civilisation have on Byzantine culture?

            1 attempt
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          The Byzantine Empire
          The Early Middle Ages and Islam
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          Activity 22

          P

          What were the main internal conflicts that Christianity suffered in this period?

            1 attempt
          Done
          The Byzantine Empire
          The Early Middle Ages and Islam
          Without background sound
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          Activity 23

          P

          Apply

           

          Look at the Virgin of Vladimir and the Mosaic of Theodora.

               
          Virgin of Vladimir
           
          Mosaic of Theodora
           
          Which characteristic features of Byzantine art do these two works share?

            1 attempt
          Done
          The Byzantine Empire
          The Early Middle Ages and Islam
          Without background sound
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          Activity 24

          P
          What is the difference between the Greek cross and the basilica floor plans?
          Draw each of these church floor plans. When you have finished your drawings, scan them and send them to your teacher by email.                    

            1 attempt
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          The Byzantine Empire
          The Early Middle Ages and Islam
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          Activity 25

          0/1
          Find out what Constantinople is called nowadays.
          • Córdoba

          • Correct answer
            Wrong answer
          • Istanbul

          • Correct answer
            Wrong answer
          • Tunisia

          • Correct answer
            Wrong answer
          • Ankara

          • Correct answer
            Wrong answer

            3 attempts
          Done
          The Byzantine Empire
          The Early Middle Ages and Islam
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          Activity 26

          0/1

          Analyse

           

          Why are Catholics a minority in countries like Russia, Bulgaria and Greece?

          • Byzantine missionaries converted the Slavic peoples to the Orthodox Church.

          • Correct answer
            Wrong answer
          • They followed the doctrines of the Orthodox Church after the Great Schism.

          • Correct answer
            Wrong answer
          • After the Great Schism, Western Europe is loyal to the authority of the Patriarch of Constantinople.

          • Correct answer
            Wrong answer

            3 attempts
          Done
          The Byzantine Empire
          The Early Middle Ages and Islam
          Without background sound
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          Activity 27

          P

          Evaluate

           

          Why were large, sumptuous churches built in the Byzantine Empire, whereas the Germanic kingdoms had small, austere churches?

            1 attempt
          Done
          The Byzantine Empire
          The Early Middle Ages and Islam
          Without background sound
          Logo

          Activity 28

          P
          Nowadays, most Slavic peoples use the Cyrillic alphabet, although some have adopted the Latin alphabet. Find out which Slavic peoples use the Latin alphabet. Why do you think they made this change?
          Editor toolbarsBasic Styles Bold Italic Underline Strikethrough Text Color Background ColorParagraph Insert/Remove Numbered List Insert/Remove Bulleted List Decrease Indent Increase Indentparagraph2 Align Left Center Align Right Justify TableClipboard/Undo Undo Redo Insert Horizontal LineInsert Attach file

          Press ALT 0 for help
          (0 words)

            1 attempt
          Done