(The Roman Empire of the East) Byzantine Empire (The Roman Empire of the East)

Constantinople Constantinople had very appealing geography. The geography made it easy to defend. Constantinople was surround on three sides by water. There were also miles of walls and watchtowers which made it easy to defend. By land or by sea, invasion of Constantinople was difficult!

Trading Center Constantinople was at the crossroads of Europe and Asia. This linked the east and west. This made the city a great trading center. Traders would come from the east with ivory or silk and trade for perfume or furs. Citizens became very wealthy.

About the City At one time, Constantinople had almost a million citizens. The official language and culture was Greek but traders and visitors spoke many languages. Ships crowded the harbor and camels and mule trains filled the city streets. The city had an advanced sewer system and hospitals and orphanages.

Not all Wealthy Many people lived in poverty. The emperor gave bread to those who could not find work and in exchange the poor needed to sweep the streets and pull weeds.

Hippodrome The Hippodrome was a large arena. Almost everyone attended chariot races there to see two teams race against each other. The two teams were the Blue and the Green and most people in Constantinople claimed the Blue or the Green. The Blue and the Green often fought and sometimes this led to deadly street fighting (think gangs) In 532 both groups united to cause riots in the streets.

Justinian One of the greatest Byzantine emperors was Justinian I. Justinian reigned from 527 to 565. However, in 532 the emperor and his wife, Theodora, were attending chariot races at the Hippodrome. The Blues and the Greens joined together and fighting turned into a full scale rebellion.

The Riot The rioting continued for a week while Justinian and Theodora hid in the palace. Much of the city was in flames. With Theodora’s encouragement Justinian stayed and fought the rebellion. 30,000 people were killed in the fighting and Constantinople lay in ruins.

Justinian Rebuilds Justinian put money into public works—he had new bridges, public baths, parks, roads, and hospitals. The emperor also built many churches including the Hagi Sophia, which means Holy Wisdom. It was a magnificent church. Today this cathedral is one of the most famous buildings in the world.

Justinian Codes Justinian is most famous for his laws. A committee studied the thousands of laws the Byzantines had inherited from the Roman Empire. The revised outdated and confusing laws. They extended the property rights of women. These codes became known as Justinian’s codes. They became the basis for many legal codes in the western world.

What made Constantinople a difficult city to attack? A. It’s military B. It’s geography C. It’s leadership

What was the capital of the Byzantine Empire? A. Constantinople B. Rome C. Jerusalem

If you were poor and got bread from the government… A. You needed to serve in the military B. You worked for the bread C. You were arrested

The Justinian Codes A. Caused rebellions B. Created a systematic body of laws C. It freed all slaves

Which of the following was an ECONOMIC problem with the Roman Empire? A. There weren’t enough jobs B. The taxes were too high for the people C. Both A and B