Bellringer: 29 February
and 1 March
• Pick up the papers by the door.
• Make the following ToC updates:
• Write down your HW:
–Read 274-278 in your class textbook
–Review the differences/similarities
between Roman Catholicism and
Greek Orthodoxy
Agenda: 29 February
and 1 March
• Objectives: Explain the basics and significance of the
Byzantine Empire (specifically geography, religion,
accomplishments, politics, economy, and social
structure). Describe the fall of the Byzantine Empire
and compare it to the fall of the Roman Empire.
• 1. Quiz Replacement Math
• 2. Notes: Byzantine Empire
• 3. Activities:
– Justinian Resume
– Justinian Code Scenarios
Warm-Up:
Match the phrase in the red boxes to the phrases in the blue boxes
they best match up with.
First in 330 CE, Constantine decided to…
Then, power in the empire was…
In 410 CE…
The Byzantine Empire
rose to power.
Move the capital to
the east.
Odacer attacked Rome and the
Western Roman Empire fell.
Divided.
In 476 CE…
Rome was sacked by Alaric I.
Finally, in the east…
The Byzantine Empire, or Byzantium, was
formerly a part of the Roman Empire.
As the Empire in the west fell due to
moral decay, invasions from barbaric
tribes, and political turmoil the east
actually prospered.
Significance:
Why was Byzantium important?
• Empire ruled the east from 300 C.E.
to 1453 C.E.
• Constantinople = preserve classical
culture.
• The empire was a center of trade,
learning, and cultural diffusion.
–Constantinople is @ a crossroads
Geography
• Eastern Roman Empire becomes
the Byzantine Empire
• Asia Minor, Balkan Peninsula,
Egypt, Palestine
• Capital: Constantinople
Location is Everything
• Why Constantinople?
–Good port for trading
–Far from the Germanic Tribes
–Natural defenses
Maps!
Spain
1
(Iberia)
Black
6 Sea
Italy
2
Greece
3
Caspian
10
Sea
Asia7Minor
Mediterranean
4
Sea
Canaan/
8
Judea
Egypt
5
Arabia
9
Checking for Understanding
• Why did the Eastern Roman Empire
survive when the Western Roman
Empire fell?
• What geographic factor was most
important to the growth of the
Byzantine Empire?
Religion
Religion
Christianity!
Religion
The Christian Church is present in both the
West (Rome) and the East (Constantinople).
Both have leading bishops.
• In West (Rome) there is a Pope
• In East (Constantinople) there is a
patriarch.
Religion
A small disagreement between the
two churches over icons, led to
larger disagreements and
eventually a split …or a schism!
• We will see a schism in the
Christian church!
Religion video:
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=
Ds-bFRvKbLI
Religion: Great Schism
West (Rome)
•
•
•
•
Pope
View on Icons: okay
Church service in Latin
Priests can’t marry
Roman Catholic Church
East (Byzantium/Constantinople)
• Patriarch
• View on Icons: not okay.
• Church Service in
Greek.
• Priests can marry.
Eastern Orthodox Church
What is an icon?
Icon = painting of Christ or
another holy figure, used as
an aid to devotion.
Branches within Christianity
Great Schism
(11th Century)
Early
Christianity
Western
Church
Catholicism
(Roman
Catholic
Church)
Lutheran
Protestantism
Catholicism
Baptist
Episcopalian
Anglican
Eastern
Orthodox
Reformation
(16th Century)
Checking for Understanding
• Compare the Churches in the East
and in the West. What are the
similarities, what are the
differences?
Achievements
Achievements
• Preserved Greco-Roman culture
• Art
–Mosaics
–Blended Greek, Roman, and Middle
Eastern styles
What is a Mosaic?
A picture or pattern
produced by arranging
together small colored
pieces of hard material,
such as stone, tile, or glass
Other Achievements
• Justinian Code
• Surviving for 1000 years
• Language: Greek (contrasts with Latin
in the West)
– Adoption of Greek alphabet for the Slavic
languages by St. Cyril (Cyrillic alphabet)
– Greco-Roman knowledge preserved in
Byzantine libraries
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=
70si9RQGa_M
Hagia Sophia
A 6th century
masterpiece
built as a
Christian
church,
converted to a
mosque in
1453, and
made into a
museum in the
middle of the
20th century.
Images of the Exterior
Images of the Interior
Hagia Sophia Vid
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=
KRPp3jzv1Tw
Checking for Understanding
• Compare the Byzantine
achievements with the achievements
of the Ancient Roman Empire.
Political
Political
• Emperor: sole and absolute ruler
with power from divine origin.
• Famous ruler: Justinian
Justinian (527 – 565)
• Restores the glory of
Rome
– Rebuilds Constantinople
– Re-conquers Roman
territory
– Reforms the empire
1. Rebuilding
Constantinople
• Justinian:
repairs/builds
defensive walls
and
fortifications
1. Rebuilding
Constantinople
• Justinian: modernizes the city
– Mese (“Middle Way”)
– Hospitals
– Schools
– Palaces
– Aqueducts
– Law courts
– Public baths
– Hippodrome (free chariot races!)
3. Rebuilding
Constantinople
• Justinian: builds churches, including
the Hagia Sophia (Holy Wisdom)
2. Re-conquers Roman
territory
• Goal = re-conquer lost Roman territory.
3. Reforms the empire
• Declares emperor controls the church
• Reforms and strengthens the
bureaucracy and tax collection
• Justinian Code
–Reviews, revises, edits, and codifies
5,000 Roman laws
–Became the basis for western legal
codes for centuries to come!
Checking for Understanding
• What are the 3 R’s for Justinian?
Economy
• Center of trade
–Trade Routes between Black Sea
and Baltic Sea
• Mese – “Middle Way” (main road
through Constantinople)
• Trade-based economy, economy
centered around providing for
Constantinople (and trade)
Social
• Women had more rights and
freedom than in Rome or Greece
(thanks to Empress Theodora)
• Schools
• Hippodrome (free chariot races!)
Bye Bye, Byzantium
Decline of Byzantium…looks
similar to the Romans
Empire goes into debt, becomes bankrupt
Too large to control (same as Rome)
Split of the Christian Church hurts the Byzantines
External threats lurk
– Turks and Mongols (again?!) invade from the
East throughout the 13th and 14th centuries
• Finally, the Ottoman Turks conquer
Constantinople in 1453
•
•
•
•
AD 550
AD 1050
AD 1350
Know This Date!
Constantinople
falls: 1453
1. Read the scenario.
2. Read the code.
3. Answer the questions
4 minutes!
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