Byzantine Empire Culture and Influence

Byzantine Culture Origins: Mostly Greek (Hellenistic) Roman Christian

Culture and Influence Art: Glorified the Church and God Glorified the Empire and the Emperor

Culture and Influence Religious mosaics were common Like this one from the Hagia Sophia

Culture and Influence Mosaic: A picture or decorative design made by setting small colored pieces, as of stone or tile, into a surface

Culture and Influence There was painting as well. This style would be common until the Renaissance

Culture and Influence The Romanos Ivory, now in Paris, shows the Emperor Romanos II (reigned ) and the Empress Eudokia being crowned by Christ, an illustration of the link between Church and State in the Byzantine Empire

Culture and Influence

The place of the Emperor between church and state is shown in this mosaic of Justinian.

Culture and Influence

Even Justinian’s wife, the Empress Theodora is honored in many mosaics

Culture and Influence

Architecture is Important as well: Especially churches Like the Hagia Sophia

Culture and Influence

But all buildings were influenced

Culture and Influence And the influence carried into Russia and Eastern Europe

Culture and Influence

Language: Greek was the language of the Church and the Byzantine Empire

Culture and Influence One cleric spread language in a unique way St. Cyril

Culture and Influence To the north of the Black Sea and the Byzantine Empire lives the Slavs. Most modern eastern Europeans drew from these peoples

Culture and Influence

They were people with no written language. Cyril saw a need to provide one for Bibles and religious writings

Culture and Influence Cyril adapted the Greek alphabet and created the Cyrillic alphabet that carries his name.

Culture and Influence This is the alphabet of Russian, Polish, Ukrainian and other Eastern European Languages