Essay on Roman Influence on Byzantine Empire and Islamic...

Mother of the World â€Å"The mother of the world has been killed,† stated a 5th century historian, bereft and appalled when the news of Rome’s fall had reached ear. Certainly his words hold truth, for Rome - the dauntingly colossal Empire engulfing the Mediterranean and all territories around it; the source of artistic, intellectual, and cultural ascendancy; the influential factor of brilliance in so many of the coexisting societies of the western world - was truly the predecessor and creator of all Western Civilization to come. However, what no one knew, was that the lasting impression this powerful and astonishing civilization would make upon the world, even if only through the works of fleeting memory or written text. As always, with loss†¦show more content†¦Silk soon became an imperial monopoly, and through this way, the trade of luxury items became the Byzantine’s main source of income. The location of Constantinople also aided in military conquest and defence, for the empire’s naval headquarters were located along the shores, and had access to the Black Sea and Mediterranean. Because of the Empire’s location, all but overlapping the fallen Roman’s territory, the Byzantine Empire was greatly affected by these Roman’s past traditions and ways of life. The Roman Empire influenced the Byzantine Empire’s culture, mainly through the religion of Christianity. Christianity first appeared in the Roman Empire, with the birth, teachings, and supposed resurrection of Jesus Christ. In the beginning years of it’s arrival, Christianity was not tolerated and Christians were mainly, and most often brutally prosecuted. However, with Constantine’s Edict of Milan, Christianity was officially tolerated, and under Theodosius, it became the official religion of the Roman Empire. The Byzantine Empire inherited this relatively new religion, continuing to follow the beliefs and traditions of the church, as well as spreading the word of Jesus Christ and the message of god. Churches sprung up in the empire, such as the mighty Hagia Sophia. Located in Constantinople and built by Justinian, this church especially exemplifiedShow MoreRelatedThe Byzantine Empire And Islamic Calliphates1023 Words   |  5 PagesThe Byzantine Empire vs The Islamic Caliphates Before 1450 The Byzantine and Islamic Empires both had their similarities and differences in the way they governed. Islamic caliphates and the Byzantine Empire both appointed their political leaders as religious leaders why? Because they both have more power over their people. They would control the areas laws and duties but also their religion. The big difference of the two empires was their religious practices, The Islamic caliphates consisted ofRead MoreThe Similarities between: The Byzantine Empire and Islamic Civilization 665 Words   |  3 Pagesstarted to flourish. One of these civilizations that started to expand was the Byzantine civilization. The Byzantine civilization, also regarded as Byzantium, was part of the Roman Empire which was divided in 395 AD. Byzantium had shared the same attitude, as the Roman Empire, toward exercising its authority over its citizens and throughout its empire. The Islamic civilization had started thrive in the fifth century. The Islamic civil ization was unified together as unison by Islam and it has expandedRead MoreThe Reign Of The Byzantine Empire1347 Words   |  6 Pages1) The Byzantine emperors were more powerful than previous Roman emperors because the Byzantine emperors inherited imperial law, which were only provincial forms of Roman law that survived in the west. Also, the emperors were able to transition smoothly into the role of all powerful Christian monarchs. 2) The Byzantine Empire post 600 CE can be categorized as a beleaguered empire because they only had a single ruler who endowed with supreme legal and religious authority was able to prevent theRead MoreThe Great Mosque Of Cordoba Vs. Hagia Sophia1518 Words   |  7 Pageshimself. The Hagia Sophia was a very significant building of its time and one that drew attention and respect. At this time in history the Byzantines, specifically Justinian, wanted to make one message clear, that message being that the emperor of the byzantines empire, Justinian, held the ultimate authority over the church, and not the pope. The Wester Roman Empire, on the other hand, firmly believed that the Pope held the ultimate authority and not the emperor. Even though this building was a churchRead MoreThe Origins Of The West East Essay2165 Words   |  9 Pagesgreater region and its antiquity, the art exposes itself as exceptionally intimate, beautiful, and charming in its complexity. The focus is to demonstrate how important it is to know the history of near East and its empires in order to comprehend the history of the Roman Republic and Roman Empire as well as history of the Greeks. Near East remains an area of unambiguous geographical contrasts through enormous deserts rimmed by rocky and rough mountain ranges disrupted by lush oases. Rivers flow throughRead MoreIslamic, Byzantine And Western European Worlds1766 Words   |  8 PagesDuring the 17th to 18th century, The Roman Empire had gone through a cultural and religious metamorphous. Throughout this time, the roles of religion in the Islamic, Byzantine and Western European worlds altered the period of 600-750 with their similarities adhering to monotheism for one, and differences in regards to perspectives. These three cultures were all pretty diverse but they also shared some of the same roots and became heritors of the Roman Empire, built on different ideologies. The differentRead MoreNomadic Societies Essay623 Words   |  3 PagesNomadic Societies How did nomadic societies develop differently than other societies?   They developed by adapting to the ecological conditions of their arid lands. Due to the lack of rain in central Asia they are not able to support large scale agriculture. The Nomadic people would bring their herds of animals to lands that actually had large amounts of grass, and stubs so that they could graze. They lived off of only meat, milk, and the hides of their animals. They used animal bones for toolsRead MoreIslam Change over Time Essay1324 Words   |  6 Pagestoday after 1396 years. Islam still translates to â€Å"submission† and Muslims still live by the Qur’an and follow the 5 Pillars of Islam. However, throughout the Pre-Islamic, Umayyad, and Abbasid eras, the political structure that governed the societies that followed Islam differed over the years with some minor continuity. The pre-Islamic era lasted from 400 B.C until the revelation of the Prophet Mohammad in 610 C.E. The lack of Islam evidently created a lack of true unity. The basic social unitRead MoreByzantium and Sassanid Empire1999 Words   |  8 Pagesstart of the post-classical era two empires existed that were among the first wave of post-classical empires. They were the Byzantine Empire and the Persian Sassanid Empire. They Byzantine Empire was known to be a continuation of the Roman Empire that lasted for one-thousand years. Although this sounds like an achievement the one-thousand year Byzantine Empire was not as great as it is expected to be. The Sassanid Empire that lied just east of the Byzantine Empire, or in present day Iran was alsoRead MoreJewish, Early Christian, Byzantine and Islamic Art1557 Words   |  7 PagesTeri Wilson March 1, 2010 Professor Hollinger Module 5 JEWISH, EARLY CHRISTIAN, BYZANTINE AND ISLAMIC ART Every religion has its own approach to art and architecture. An assessment between different traditions can offer an illuminating insight into the varying religious outlooks and theologies. Architecture, as well as art, is influenced by a number of forces in society, in the environment, in the psychology of the people who produce it, and in different institutions. It is an expression of inner