What’s the Connection?In the last section, you learned

that even though the Roman Empire inthe West fell, the Eastern RomanEmpire survived and prospered. Itbecame known as the ByzantineEmpire.The Byzantines developed anew civilization based on Greek,Roman, and Christian ideas.

Focusing on the• The Eastern Roman Empire grew rich

and powerful as the Western RomanEmpire fell. (page 328)

• The policies and reforms of EmperorJustinian and Empress Theodorahelped make the Byzantine Empirestrong. (page 329)

• The Byzantines developed a richculture based on Roman, Greek, andChristian ideas. (page 332)

Locating PlacesBlack SeaAegean Sea (ih• JEE•uhn)

Meeting People Justinian (juh•STIH•nee•uhn)Theodora (THEE•uh•DOHR•uh)Belisarius (BEH• luh•SAR•ee•uhs)Tribonian (truh•BOH•nee•uhn)

Building Your Vocabularymosaic (moh•ZAY• ihk)saint (SAYNT)regent (REE• juhnt)

Reading StrategyCause and Effect Complete a chartto show the causes and effects ofJustinian’s new law code.

BByzantine yzantine EEmpirempireThe The

A.D. 527Emperor Justinian begins rule

A.D. 565Justiniandies

A.D. 537Hagia SophiacompletedConstantinople

RomeSPAIN ITALY

BALKANPENINSULA

ASIA MINOR

EGYPTPALESTINE

A.D. 525 A.D. 550 A.D. 575A.D. 525 A.D. 550 A.D. 575

CHAPTER 9 Roman Civilization 327

Causes

New Code of Laws

Effects

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The Rise of the ByzantinesThe Eastern Roman Empire grew rich

and powerful as the Western Roman Empire fell.Reading Focus Think of your own community. Howhave groups of people from different backgrounds con-tributed to its character? What would your town or citybe like without these contributions from all the differ-ent groups? Read to learn about the different groupsthat made up the Byzantine Empire.

The Eastern Roman, or Byzantine,Empire reached a high point in the A.D. 500s.At this time, the empire stretched west toItaly, south to Egypt, and east to the borderwith Arabia. Greeks made up the empire’slargest group, but many other peoples werefound within the empire. They includedEgyptians, Syrians, Arabs, Armenians,Jews, Persians, Slavs, and Turks.

Why Is Constantinople Important? Inthe last section, you learned that EmperorConstantine moved the capital of theRoman Empire from Rome to a new citycalled Constantinople. Constantine’s citybecame the capital of the Byzantine Empire.By the A.D. 500s, Constantinople was thriv-ing and had become one of the world’sgreat cities.

One reason for Constantinople’s successwas its location. It lay on the waterwaysbetween the Black Sea and the Aegean Sea(ih • JEE •uhn). Its harbors offered a safe shel-ter for fishing boats, trading ships, and war-ships. Constantinople also sat at thecrossroads of trade routes between Europeand Asia. The trade that passed throughmade the city extremely wealthy.

Constantinople had a secure land loca-tion. Lying on a peninsula, Constantinople

was easily defended. Seas protected iton three sides, and on the fourth side,a huge wall guarded the city. Later ahuge chain was even strung across thecity’s north harbor for greater protec-tion. Invaders could not easily takeConstantinople.

Influence of Greek Culture TheByzantines at first followed Romanways. Constantinople was known asthe “New Rome.” Its public buildingsand palaces were built in the Romanstyle. The city even had an oval arenacalled the Hippodrome, where chariotraces and other events were held.

Byzantine political and social lifealso were based on that of Rome.Emperors spoke Latin and enforcedRoman laws. The empire’s poor peo-ple received free bread and shows.Wealthy people lived in town or onlarge farming estates. In fact, many ofthem had once lived in Rome.

328 CHAPTER 9 Roman Civilization

The ancient walled city of Constantinople

Stapleton Collection, UK/Bridgeman Art Library

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N

S

W E

Lambert Azimuthal Equal-Area projection500 km0

500 mi.0

40°N

20°N

0° 20°E 40°E

ATLANTICOCEAN

Danube R.

Tigris R.

Mediterranean Sea

Euphrates R.

Black Sea

Red Sea

Nile R.

CaspianSeaITALYSPAIN

SYRIA

EGYPT

OSTROGOTHS

ARABIA

PERSIANEMPIRE

BALKANPENINSULA

ASIA MINOR

Crete

Sicily

Sardinia

Corsica

Cyprus

ConstantinopleRome

JerusalemAlexandria

Carthage

CHAPTER 9 Roman Civilization 329

As time passed, the Byzantine Empirebecame less Roman and more Greek. MostByzantines spoke Greek and honored theirGreek past. Byzantine emperors and offi-cials began to speak Greek too. The ideas ofnon-Greek peoples, like the Egyptians andthe Slavs, also shaped Byzantine life. Stillother customs came from Persia to the east.All of these cultures blended together toform the Byzantine civilization. BetweenA.D. 500 and A.D. 1200, the Byzantines hadone of the world’s richest and most-advanced empires.

Explain Why did theByzantine Empire have such a blending of cultures?

Emperor JustinianThe policies and reforms of Emperor

Justinian and Empress Theodora helped make theByzantine Empire strong.Reading Focus Do you sometimes rewrite reports tomake them easier to understand? Read to learn howJustinian rewrote and reorganized the Byzantine law code.

Justinian ( juh • STIH • nee • uhn) becameemperor of the Byzantine Empire in A.D. 527and ruled until A.D. 565. Justinian was astrong leader. He controlled the military,made laws, and was supreme judge. Hisorder could not be questioned.

The Byzantine Empire A..D. 527–565. 527–565

Justinian attempted to restore theRoman Empire in the Mediterranean.1. Describe the area of the Byzantine

Empire before Justinian’sconquests.

2. How far west did the empireextend after Justinian’s conquests?

KEYByzantine Empire before Justinian, A.D. 527Area added to ByzantineEmpire during Justinian's conquests, A.D. 565

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Justinian’s wife, the empress Theodora(THEE • uh •DOHR • uh), helped him run theempire. Theodora, a former actress, wasintelligent and strong-willed, and shehelped Justinian choose government offi-cials. Theodora also convinced him to givewomen more rights. For the first time, aByzantine wife could own land. If shebecame a widow, she now had the incometo take care of her children.

In A.D. 532 Theodora helped saveJustinian’s throne. Angry taxpayers threat-ened to overthrow Justinian and stormedthe palace. Justinian’s advisers urged him to leave Constantinople. Theodora,

however, told him to stay and fight.Justinian took Theodora’s advice. Hestayed in the city and crushed the uprising.

Justinian’s Conquests Justinian wanted toreunite the Roman Empire and bring backRome’s glory. To do this, he had to conquerWestern Europe and northern Africa. He

ordered a general named Belisarius(BEH • luh • SAR • ee • uhs) to strengthenand lead the Byzantine army.

When Belisarius took command,he reorganized the Byzantine army.Instead of foot soldiers, the Byzantinearmy came to rely on cavalry—sol-diers mounted on horses. Byzantinecavalry wore armor and carried bowsand lances, which were long spears.

During Justinian’s reign, theByzantine military conquered mostof Italy and northern Africa anddefeated the Persians in the east.

However, Justinian conquered too muchtoo quickly. After he died, the empire didnot have the money to maintain an armylarge enough to hold the territory in thewest.

Justinian’s Law Code Justinian decidedthat the empire’s laws were disorganizedand too difficult to understand. Heordered a group of legal scholars headedby Tribonian (truh •BOH •nee •uhn) to reformthe law code.

The group’s new simplified codebecame known as the Justinian Code.Officials, businesspeople, and individualscould now more easily understand theempire’s laws. Over the years, the JustinianCode has had a great influence on the lawsof almost every country in Europe.

Explain What did Justinianaccomplish during his reign?

330 CHAPTER 9 Roman Civilization

Theodora Refusesto Flee

Justinian’s court historian recordedTheodora’s opinion about whether to escape or fight during the A.D. 532 revolt.“My opinion then is that the present time . . . isinopportune [not a good time] for flight, eventhough it brings safety. . . . For one who has been an emperor, it isunendurable to be afugitive. . . . May I notlive that day onwhich those whomeet me shall notaddress me asempress. If, now, it isyour wish to saveyourself, O Emperor,there is no difficulty.”

—Procopius, ”The NikaRiot”

Why did the empress not wish to escape?

Theodora

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EMPRESS THEODORAc A.D. 500–548

Theodora began life in the lower class of

Byzantine society but rose to the rank of

empress. The historian Procopius recorded the

events of her early life. According to

Procopius, Theodora’s father worked as a bear

keeper at the Hippodrome. After his death,

Theodora followed her mother’s advice and

became an actress. A career in acting was not

as glamorous then as it is now. It was a job of

the lower class, like wool spinning, which

was Theodora’s other job.

Even though Theodora was of the lower

class, she began dating Justinian. Justinian

was attracted to Theodora’s beauty and

intelligence. Because Justinian wanted to

marry Theodora, his uncle, the emperor,

changed the law that prevented upper-class

nobles from marrying actresses. The two

were married in A.D. 525.

Justinian considered Theodora his

intellectual equal. In his writings, Justinian

said he asked for Theodora’s advice on laws

and policies. At Theodora’s urging, he granted

more rights to women. Some historians believe

Theodora had great power within the royal court,

perhaps more than Justinian. For example, nearly

all the laws passed during Theodora’s reign as

empress mention her name. Theodora and

Justinian had no children together. When

Theodora died from cancer in A.D. 548,

Justinian was overcome with grief. He

had her portrait incorporated into many

works of art, including numerous

Byzantine mosaics.

331

Empress Theodora advises Emperor Justinian.

“She was extremely “She was extremely clever and had a clever and had a biting wit.”biting wit.”—Procopius, —Procopius, The Secret HistoryThe Secret History

Name a modern-day female political leader

that you think has great influence in making

and changing laws. Explain your choice.

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Byzantine CivilizationThe Byzantines developed a rich cul-

ture based on Roman, Greek, and Christian ideas. Reading Focus Do you think a multicultural popula-tion adds to a country’s interest and success? Read tolearn how the diverse groups of the Byzantine Empirecontributed to its culture.

The Byzantine Empire lasted approxi-mately 1,000 years. For much of that time,Constantinople was the largest and richestcity in Europe. The Byzantines were highlyeducated and creative. They preserved andpassed on Greek culture and Roman law toother peoples. They gave the world newmethods in the arts. As you will learn, theyalso spread Christianity to people inEastern Europe.

The Importance of Trade From the A.D. 500sto the A.D. 1100s, the Byzantine Empire wasthe center of trade between Europe andAsia. Trade goods from present-day Russiain the north, Mediterranean lands in thesouth, Latin Europe in the west, and Persiaand China in the east passed through theempire. From Asia, ships and caravansbrought luxury goods—spices, gems, met-als, and cloth—to Constantinople. For theseitems, Byzantine merchants traded farmgoods as well as furs, honey, and enslavedpeople from northern Europe.

This enormous trade made theByzantine Empire very rich. However, mostByzantines were not merchants. Insteadthey were farmers, herders, laborers, andartisans. One of the major Byzantine indus-tries was weaving silk. It developed around

332

The style of the Hagia Sophia, shown here, and otherByzantine churches influenced the architecture ofchurches throughout Russia and Eastern Europe.What does the name “Hagia Sophia” mean?

Sculpture showing chariotracing at the Hippodrome

Byzantine jewelry

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A.D. 550. At that time, Byzantine travel-ers smuggled silkworm eggs out ofChina. Brought to Constantinople, thesilkworms fed on mulberry leaves andproduced silk threads. Weavers thenused the threads to make the silk cloththat brought wealth to the empire.

Byzantine Art and ArchitectureJustinian and other Byzantine emperorssupported artists and architects. Theyordered the building of churches, forts,and public buildings throughout theempire. Constantinople was known forits hundreds of churches and palaces.One of Justinian’s greatest achievementswas building the huge church calledHagia Sophia (HAH• jee•uh soh•FEE•uh),or “Holy Wisdom.” It was completed inA.D. 537 and became the religious centerof the Byzantine Empire. It still standstoday in Istanbul.

Inside Hagia Sophia, worshiperscould see walls of beautiful marble andmosaics. Mosaics (moh • ZAY • ihks) arepictures made from many bits of coloredglass or stone. They were an importanttype of art in the Byzantine Empire.Mosaics mainly showed figures ofsaints (SAYNTS), or Christian holy people.

Byzantine Women The family was thecenter of social life for most Byzantines.Religion and the government stressed theimportance of marriage and family life.Divorces were rare and difficult to get.

Byzantine women were not encour-aged to lead independent lives. Theywere expected to stay home and take careof their families. However, women didgain some important rights, thanks toEmpress Theodora. Like Theodora her-self, some Byzantine women became welleducated and involved in politics. Several

Byzantine Mosaics Imagine taking bitsof glass and turning them into beautifulmasterpieces. Byzantine artists did justthat starting around A.D. 330. Romanmosaics were made of natural-coloredmarble pieces and decorated villas andbuildings. Byzantine mosaics weredifferent. They were made of richlycolored, irregular pieces of glass anddecorated the ceilings, domes, andfloors of Byzantine churches.

Byzantine mosaics were created tohonor religious or political leaders. Thecenters of domes—because they werethe highest points of the churches—

were commonly reserved for images of Jesus.

Mosaics wereexpensive. They wereordered and paid for by

emperors, state officials,or church leaders. Manymosaics are still intactand can be seen todayinside churches,monasteries, andmuseums.

Connecting to the Past1. Why do you think the name of the

person who paid for the mosaic—rather than the name of the personwho made the mosaic—was oftenrecorded in the inscription?

2. What types of art do present-dayartists make with glass?

Mosaic from theByzantine Empire

The

Art

Arc

hive

/Hag

hia

Sop

hia

Ista

nbul

/Dag

li O

rti

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Reading SummaryReview the • With its capital at

Constantinople and strong Greekinfluences, the Byzantine Empiregrew powerful and wealthy.

• The Byzantine emperor, Justinian,reconquered much of the landthat had been held by the oldRoman Empire in the Mediter-ranean. It also issued a new lawcode known as the JustinianCode.

• As the Byzantine Empire grewwealthy from trade, art, architec-ture, and education flourished.

1. What is a mosaic, and wherewere mosaics found in theByzantine Empire?

2. How did silk weaving developin the Byzantine Empire?

Critical Thinking 3. Organizing Information

Draw a diagram like the onebelow. Fill in details aboutConstantinople’s location.

4. Describe What were some ofthe trade items that wereexchanged between merchantsin Constantinople?

5. Explain Why were divorcesdifficult to get in the ByzantineEmpire?

6. Analyze What importantservice did Byzantine writersprovide to the rest of theworld? Explain its significance.

7. Persuasive Writing Whichcivilization do you think wasthe most advanced—that ofthe Greeks, the Romans, or theByzantines? Write a speechexplaining your answer.

Location ofConstantinople

What Did You Learn?

Homework Helper Need help with the material in this section? Visit jat.glencoe.com

334 CHAPTER 9 Roman Civilization

royal women served as regents. A regent(REE• juhnt) is a person who stands in for aruler who is too young or too ill to govern. Afew ruled the empire in their own right.

Byzantine Education Learning washighly respected in Byzantine culture. Thegovernment supported the training ofscholars and government officials. InByzantine schools, boys studied religion,medicine, law, arithmetic, grammar, andother subjects. Wealthy Byzantines some-times hired tutors to teach their children.Girls usually did not attend schools andwere taught at home.

Most Byzantine authors wrote aboutreligion. They stressed the need to obeyGod and save one’s soul. To strengthenfaith, they wrote about the lives of saints.Byzantine writers gave an important gift tothe world. They copied and passed on the

writings of the ancient Greeks and Romans.Without Byzantine copies, many importantworks from the ancient world would havedisappeared forever.

Identify What church isone of Justinian’s greatest achievements?

This Byzantine religious text is beautifullyillustrated. What did Byzantine boysstudy at school?

Ancient Art & Architecture Collection

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