A History Of Byzantium Page

A thousand-year saga of resilience, intrigue, and survival, the history of the —or the Eastern Roman Empire—is the story of a civilization that preserved the legacy of antiquity while bridging the gap to the modern world. Founded on the site of the ancient Greek city of Byzantium, it rose as the "New Rome" and endured long after the Western Empire fell. I. Foundations: The Birth of New Rome (285–457 AD)

: He codified Roman law into the Corpus Juris Civilis , but his reign was also marred by the devastating Plague of Justinian , which decimated the population. III. Survival and Transformation (610–1025 AD)

: Facing a Crisis of the Third Century , Emperor Diocletian divided the Roman Empire into East and West to make it more governable. A History of Byzantium

Byzantium faced centuries of existential threats from Persians, Slavs, and the rise of Islam. Podcasting in Istanbul? - The History of Byzantium

The empire’s origins lie in the restructuring of the Roman state. A thousand-year saga of resilience, intrigue, and survival,

: Emperor Justinian I (r. 527–565) sought to reclaim the lost Western provinces, briefly retaking Italy, North Africa, and parts of Spain.

: Justinian commissioned the Hagia Sophia , a feat of engineering that remained the world’s largest cathedral for nearly a millennium. Foundations: The Birth of New Rome (285–457 AD)

This era marked the empire’s peak territorial reach and cultural splendor.