The Byzantines are known as the precursors of both The Renaissance humanism and Slav Orthodox culture. Orthodoxy occupies a central position in history and societies of ancient Greece, Bulgaria, Russia, Serbia and other countries. The modern day Orthodox church is the second largest Christian church in the world.
Manuscript of Georgius Gemistus
The Byzantine Empire copied and preserved classical manuscripts from ancient Greece and Rome and are regarded as the transmitters of classical knowledge. The Byzantines Ancient classical knowledge was very important to the development of modern European civilization.
Leontius Pilatus
Leontius Pilatus was a Calabrian (Calabria, Italy) scholar and was one of the earliest promoters of Greek studies in Western Europe. Pilatus was known for translating and commenting on works of Euripides, Aristotle, and Homer, including the Odyssey and Iliad to Latin and was the first professor in Western Greece.
Justinian I
Justinian I was the emperor of the Byzantine Empire from 527-565. During his reign he sought to conquer the lost western half of the Roman Empire, and wanted to restore The Byzantine. His most famous restore to the Byzantine Empire was the creation of the Twelve Tables, which were a mix of laws from Rome and newer laws that applied to the Byzantine. The Twelve Table laws are the basis of many western laws today.
The Twelve Tables
This is one of the twelve tables. The Twelve Tables were Roman legislation that stood at the foundation of Roman law, and stands as the basis of many western laws today. Created by Justinian, his reforms to the law, The Twelve Tables, stated the rights and duties of the Roman people.
Emperor Constantine
Emperor Constantine was a Roman Emperor who ruled from 306-337 AD. Constantine was the first Emperor of the Byzantine Empire. Constantine was also the first Emperor to convert to Christianity. After he built up the Eastern Roman Empire (byzantine) he created the capital and named it Constantinople, after himself. In his time he restructured the government, developed new currency, stabilized the armies, and developed new buildings. He brought many older west roman constitutions such things as the Senate were maintained. Constantine created a Eastern Senate directly copied from the Western Senate for Constantinople. The Constantinople Senate outlasted the Western Senate by centuries spreading which retained Western law. The laws would end up being altered in the future by Justinian I. Emperor Constantine also copied the Western Roman Catholic Churches, but the Eastern churches were called the Eastern Orthodox churches and the two churches had minor differences.
The Little Hagia Sophia
The Little Hagia Sophia was a former Greek Orthodox church built in the 6th century in Istanbul. It was converted to a Mosque during the Ottoman Empire. Historians say that this was likely a model for the famous Hagia Sophia also built in the 6th century. This building , just like the two other "Hagia" buildings, are famous for their Byzantine architecture, like domes, columns, and arches, which were all inspired by Greek, Roman architecture.
Columns and Arches
The columns, arches,and domes are examples of both Greece-Roman architecture and Byzantine Architecture. This is true because the Byzantines were influenced greatly by Greece-Roman Culture.
Hagia Sophia
Influences from Byzantine architecture, particularly religious buildings like the Hagia Sophia, can be found from Egypt to Russia. Byzantine styled architecture and art flourished during the Byzantine renaissance. During this time artist adopted a naturalistic style and complex techniques from ancient Greek and Roman art, often mixing them with Christian ideas.
Georgius Gemistus
Gemistus was one of the most renowned philosophers and Zoroastrians of the late Byzantine era. He was a chief pioneer and the revival of Greek scholarship in Western Europe. Gemistus, like many other ancient scholars and philosophers, preserved and possessed great knowledge of Greek civilization, which he spread through generations with his books.
