PRIMES of Byzantium
Politics Emperor not considered a God but a representative of Christ God gave the throne- if Emperor was overthrown, means God no longer favors Diplomatic- greeted, dined, entertained foreign dignitaries (unless you were an enemy) Chooses Patriarch (so in charge of religion) Justinian= famous emperor Justice= Justinian’s Code
Religion Christian Emperor was not a god but a representative of Christ Eastern Orthodox Spoke Greek Priests can marry head of church is Emperor who chose patriarch Tolerant of other religions No icons
Intelligence Used science for military advances & advances in medicine 3 types of schools: Palace school (trained civil service), Patriarchal school (trained priests), Monastic school (trained young monks)…. Labor guilds Preserve Greek and Roman language, literature and culture
Military Greek fire/ walls Themes- Military districts- divided land and allowed peasants to rule land LOYALTY Mountain ranges/ Water (Black sea, Bosporus Strait) Army= best fighting force in the world. Officers trained in geography/ strategy Office of Barbarians- collected information on enemies living in surrounding empires
Economy Crossroad between Europe and Asia Taxed trade routes Received LOTS of goods from Asia / Europe Mese- Main Street
Society City= cafes, entertainment, open forums, Mese Leading sport= chariot races @ Hippodrome Sport factions actually advised emperor