Scribd Logo
Upload

Welcome to Scribd!

  • 95 views

    Day 2 Handout

    Uploaded by

    api-348909996
    Constantinople was established as the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire in 330 AD by Emperor Constantine. It was strategically located on a peninsula along the Bosphorus strait, protecting it from attack while controlling important shipping routes. Constantinople grew to become the largest and richest city in the world, with nearly a million residents enjoying amenities like schools, markets, and multiple imperial palaces. The Byzantine Empire reconquered former Roman lands, spreading its influence around the Mediterranean and further establishing Constantinople's prominence.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Day 2 Handout

    Uploaded by

    api-348909996
    95 views2 pages
    Constantinople was established as the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire in 330 AD by Emperor Constantine. It was strategically located on a peninsula along the Bosphorus strait, protecting it from attack while controlling important shipping routes. Constantinople grew to become the largest and richest city in the world, with nearly a million residents enjoying amenities like schools, markets, and multiple imperial palaces. The Byzantine Empire reconquered former Roman lands, spreading its influence around the Mediterranean and further establishing Constantinople's prominence.

    Original Title

    day 2 handout

    Copyright

    © © All Rights Reserved

    Available Formats

    DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Did you find this document useful?

    Is this content inappropriate?

    Constantinople was established as the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire in 330 AD by Emperor Constantine. It was strategically located on a peninsula along the Bosphorus strait, protecting it from attack while controlling important shipping routes. Constantinople grew to become the largest and richest city in the world, with nearly a million residents enjoying amenities like schools, markets, and multiple imperial palaces. The Byzantine Empire reconquered former Roman lands, spreading its influence around the Mediterranean and further establishing Constantinople's prominence.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    95 views2 pages

    Day 2 Handout

    Uploaded by

    api-348909996
    Constantinople was established as the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire in 330 AD by Emperor Constantine. It was strategically located on a peninsula along the Bosphorus strait, protecting it from attack while controlling important shipping routes. Constantinople grew to become the largest and richest city in the world, with nearly a million residents enjoying amenities like schools, markets, and multiple imperial palaces. The Byzantine Empire reconquered former Roman lands, spreading its influence around the Mediterranean and further establishing Constantinople's prominence.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    You are on page 1of 2

    The Beauty of Constantinople

    Several chapters ago, we read that the Roman Empire got too big for one
    emperor to rule all alone. So the Roman Empire was divided into two parts. The part of
    the Roman Empire that still had Rome in it was called the Western Roman Empire, and
    the rest of the empire became known as the Eastern Roman Empire. Its capital city was
    called Constantinople.

    The capital of the Byzantine empire, Constantinople, had been built by the
    Emperor Constantine on the site of the Greek colony of Byzantium. It was dedicated in
    330 and named New Rome. The city was built on a peninsula overlooking the
    Bosphorus, a narrow strait that connects the Black Sea to the Aegean through the sea
    of Marmara. In this strategic location the city was protected from attack on two sides by
    the sea, and on the landward sides by great wall. From this location the city could
    control shipping through the Bosporus. Ships goods, sailors, and merchants poured into
    Constantinople. Even before the fall of Rome, the eastern capital was the richest city of
    the Roman Empire.

    After the fall of Rome, the Byzantine Empire was small at first, because the
    invaders had taken so much of its land away. But then, strong, warlike emperors began
    to reconquer some the land that had once belonged to Rome. Eventually, the Byzantine
    Empire spread all around the Mediterranean Sea. Constantinople, the capital city of the
    Byzantine Empire, became the biggest city in the world. It was larger than Rome had
    ever been!

    Imagine that youre walking through the streets of Constantinople. The road
    beneath you feet is smoothly paved; the Byzantines know the Roman art of making
    good roads; rock and cement. People push and jostle you from every side. There are
    almost a million of people in this one city. Many of the people are dressed like Romans,
    in togas (white robes draped over one shoulder and belted around the middle). You
    pass beautiful shops selling silks, jewelry, and all kinds of food- peaches, almonds,
    peanuts, grapes, fish, bowls of hot lentil soup, and cups of white kidney beans cooked
    with sage and onion. The smells of fruit, meat, and soup mix together and float out into
    the street. Suddenly, youre feeling very hungry.

    You dont see many children on the streets. Where are all the children? you ask
    a woman passing by. She is wearing a beautiful blue wool cloak, edged with gold
    thread.
    Theyre in school, of course, the woman answers. We have schools for all
    children -- even the poor ones. The little ones are working on their reading and writing,
    and the older students are reading the great books written by the Greeks and Romans.
    Our children have better things to do than run around in the streets! Excuse me, Ive got
    to go. Im a lady in waiting to the empress, and Ive got to get to her palace right away.
    Where is the palace? you ask.
    The woman laughs. What do you mean, the palace? We have fourteen palaces
    in Constantinople. The Emperor and his court have five. The ladies of the court have six
    more, of their own. And even have three places for people who work for the emperor!
    But you cant go inside them because youre just a commoner. If you want to see a
    beautiful building, go visit our biggest church, the Hagia Sophia. Its right up there.

    You might also like