Objective: I will describe the key features of Constantinople

Eastern Roman Empire = Byzantine Empire Hadrian’s Wall Rhine River Danube River Arabian Desert Sahara Desert

Eastern Roman Empire = Byzantine Empire In 284, Diocletian splits the Empire into two parts because it is too big to govern.

The Roman Capital Moves In 324, Emperor Constantine moves the capital of the Roman Empire from Rome to the city of Byzantium. The city is re-named Constantinople, and is built up to be as great as Rome. They build a series of walls to keep out invaders by land, and built a wall around the city to protect against attacks by sea.

Constantinople also had mountain range at the back of the peninsula which made it hard to get a big army of invaders through.

Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire is the term historians use to name the eastern part of the empire that remained after the western Roman Empire fell in 476 A.D. The Byzantine Empire grew very wealthy because it was located at a crossroad for trade between Europe and Asia.

Importance of Constantinople’s Location: Easy to defend Land trade route from Asia to Europe Water trade route from Black Sea to Mediterranean Sea