Enduring Legacy Of Byzantine Empire
Similarities and Differences
Enduring Legacy Roman Republic
Similarities
- Both the Byzantine Empire, and the Roman Empire relied on farming to produce a majority of their citizens food
- Both the Byzantine Empire and the Roman Empire had a majority of their citizens educated on Greek History, literature and culture
- Both the Byzantine Empire, and the Roman Empire had their official languages be Latin, but they had a majority of their citizens speaking Greek also
The Byzantine Empire most enduring legacy was the establishment of Christianity as the main religion by Emperor Constantine I. The establishment of Christianity as the major religion of the Byzantine Empire brought about the creation of the Council of Chalcedon in 451. The Council of Chalcedon established the division of the Christian world into five patriarchates, each ruled by a patriarch. The Council of Chalcedon established the five patriarchates in Rome (where the patriarch would later call himself pope), Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch and Jerusalem. The establishment of Christianity in the Byzantine Empire helped spread Christianity throughout their vast empire, which helped the religion to grow. The establishment of Christianity in the Byzantine Empire also brought about the building of famous churches, such as the Hagia Sophia which still exists today. In conclusion, the Byzantine Empire's most enduring legacy I believe is the establishment of Christianity as their major religion because this introduced the five patriarchates, helped the spread of Christianity throughout the empire (which helped it spread out to the world), and the building of famous churches which introduced great architecture, and provided a grand example how churches would be built in the future.
Differences
- The Roman Empire first established, and made the Roman Twelve tables as their official laws
- The Byzantine Empire relied on a monarchy system to govern its empire, but the Roman Empire relied on a political assembly of democratically elected people
- The Roman Empire didn't have one set religion but multitudes, and tended to follow the Greek religion, unlike the Byzantine Empire which had Christianity as its main religion
Specialization in Occupation
Agriculture Intensification
- Political jobs (magistrates, assemblies, senate, and plebeian council)
- Roman soldiers
- Slave labor
- Traders and merchants
- Farmers
The Roman Republic Empire’s most enduring legacy I believe is their establishment of a democratic republic. The establishment of the republic came about after the scandal of the last Etruscan King Tarquin the Proud, in which the Romans decided they didn’t want to be ruled by kings any longer. When the Roman Republic was established it gave citizens a chance to elect leaders to run their government. The roles of the Roman Republic consisted of magistrates, assemblies, the senate and the plebeian council. Each branch in the Roman Republic had a specific duty. The senate was a council of men who controlled the state budget, foreign affairs, and most lands. The senate was the most powerful branch of the Roman Republic because it had a lot of control over the empire's money and land. The plebeian council was the council of the “average people” and it had the power to veto decisions made by consuls in the magistrates division. The establishment of the Roman Republic also brought about the twelve tables, which were written down laws that helped to govern the citizens of the republic. In conclusion, the establishment of the republic was the Roman Republic most enduring legacy because it introduced a new type of governing system unlike that of a monarchy. The creation of the twelve tables was also significant to the republic's enduring legacy because it made Rome among the few societies that developed laws that were codified and analyzed by jurists.
Central Government
- The Byzantine Empire's economy relied on trade and farming
- The west Asia Minor was full of plains and rivers and it was good for farming
- Constantinople, in particular, influenced urban growth and the exploitation of agricultural frontiers
- Untitled land in the hilly regions of northern Syria fell under the plow to supply foodstuffs for the masses of Constantinople
- Romulus was the 1st Etruscan king (753 BC)
- The last Etruscan king was Tarquin the Proud (expelled by popular rebellion)
- Roman Republic created a democratic republic
- In the republic citizens elected leaders to run their government
- Roman Republic consisted of a combination of aristocracy, oligarchy, and democracy
- Motto of Roman Republic SPQR (Senate and the People of Rome)
- Roman Republic also consisted of magistrates, assemblies, senate, and plebeian council
- The Twelve Tables where written laws followed in the Roman Republic
Agriculture Intensification
Connections
Central Government
Class Structure
- Farming was largely done by slaves
- Major crops that were produced included grapes, olives, peaches, cherries, plums and walnuts
- The main farm machinery were olive oil presses
- Grain was grown on vast North African estates
- Wine-making was a big part of agriculture
- Farming helped support the Roman Empire
Merchants and Trade
- Roman Republic consisted of 3 classes: patricians, plebeians, and slaves
- Patricians were wealthy land owners (senatorial aristocracy)
- Plebeians were landless poor citizens
- Romans had no middle class
- Slaves were at the bottom of the class structure
- The trade in the early Byzantine Empire used the pattern established by the Roman Empire
- Low tax rates, common currency, and custom fees, made trade great
- Trade and industry in the cities were rigidly controlled by the government
- Only profitable form of investment for private enterprise was the acquisition of landed property
Roman Republic
Byzantine Empire
- First Emperor of the Byzantine Empire was Constantine I
- Constantine I dedicated a 'new Rome' on the site of the ancient Greek colony of Byzantium
- Emperor was held to be ordained by God, head of church as well as state
- Emperor appointed church bishops and passed religious and secular laws
- Last Emperor of the Byzantine Empire was Constantine Xl
- Byzatinine Empire was ruled by Roman law and Roman political institutions
- Justinian I, who took power in 527 and would rule until his death in 565, was the first great ruler of the Byzantine Empire
Both the Byzantine Empire, and The Roman Empire......
- Relied on farming to produce food to feed the majority of their citizens
- Had strict social hierarchy, and didn't allow any movements between social classes
- Had an Emperor that was at the top of the social structure, and controlled a majority of the aspects in both empires
- Had merchants that traded vast amount of goods
- Had a common social structure, with the lowest on the social structure being poor people who didn't own land
- The majority of citizens in both empires were mostly farmers
- Had Its official language be Latin
- Had a majority of citizens speaking Greek as well as latin
- Had students that only received education in Greek history, literature and culture
- Built places of worship for their different religions
- Had many trade routes in which to trade around empires
- Had rich citizens owning more land than poorer citizens
State Religion
Merchants and Trade
Class Structure
Science and Writing
State Religion
Science and Writing
- Romans religion was similar to the Greeks
- Romans thought their were many gods, and that each god controlled different things
- Chief of the gods for the Romans was Jupiter (Zeus)
- Romans believed the gods controlled their lives, and spent a lot of time worshiping them
- Temples were built to worship the gods
- Goal of Romans was to expand land, resources and trade
- Increase in Romes military activity meant an increase in the trade in weapons
- All roman colonies were linked by roads and unified currency
- Wealth was gained by collecting taxes and importing goods
- Roman Empire was criss-crossed with trade routes
- Romans traded most with Spain, France, Middle East, and North Africa
Specialization in Occupation
- Majority of Byzantine population were farmers
- Artisans
- Slaves
- Blacksmiths
- Soldiers
- Byzantium was ruled by Roman law and Roman political institutions
- Its official language was Latin, Greek was also widely spoken
- Students received education in Greek history, literature and culture
- Byzantine building "Hagia Sophia" was a domed church built during the reign of Justinan in Constantinople, and is consider a form of great architecture
- Byzantine Architecture was one of three major forces in the architectural world during the Middle Ages of Europe
- The Byzantine Empire had three different levels of society [The upper class, the middle class, and the lower class people]
- Citizens did not get to move in between levels of their society
- Your place in the social structure determined by your hereditary (birth)
- Slaves worked off of the upper class,
- The slaves were a part of the lower class people which could be small land owners
- As a citizen of the Byzantine Empire, the Emperor said what rights you have based on your social class
- The first of the three, or the high class, was comprised of the aristocratic class, landowners with large amounts of land, highly ranked military officers, and functionaries of the state
- The second class or middle class, was made up of owners of medium size land, merchants, and industrialists
- The third class or lower class consisted of poor people and the low wage earners
- Romans created The Twelve Tables which where written Roman Laws in 450 B.C
- Creation of the alphabet by Etruscans
- Creation of Roman numerals by the Romans
- Development of "Road Building"
- Etruscans dug an enormous ditch (The Great Sewer) to create drained area named the form
- Development of Latin language
- Constantine I established Christianity as Rome's official religion
- The Council of Chalcedon in 451 officially established the division of the Christian world into five patriarchates, each ruled by a patriarch: Rome (where the patriarch would later call himself pope), Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch and Jerusalem
- Christianity was practiced throughout empire
- The Byzantine emperor was the patriarch of Constantinople, and the head of both church and state
- Built churches to worship religion
Byzantine Empire vs. Roman Republic
Bibliography
THANK YOU!
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