1. THE BYZANTINE EMPIRE

2. Formerly known as the Eastern Roman Empire
Lasted from 395 to 1453
Capital = Constantinople = larger and richer city than Rome
Its position allowed it to control trade between Asia and Europe

5. Emperor Justinian and his wife Theodora
Dreamed of restoring original Roman Empire
Rebuilt Constantinople with grand new monuments, such as the church Hagia Sophia
Decide to reform Roman law which had fallen into a state of confusion
Justinian set up a system that codified, or arranged, the empire’s existing laws and legal opinions into a clear system
Also updated and expanded to include laws created by Justinian himself
Known as Justinian’s Code

8. Built the church Hagia Sophia, which is considered to be the highlight of Byzantine architecture and was the world’s largest cathedral for nearly a 1000 years
Byzantine culture
Strong Greek traditions
Greek was made the official language of the Empire (replaced Latin)
Split between the Western and Eastern Church
Western Church = Roman Catholic
Eastern Church = Orthodox Church