We explain what the Byzantine civilization was and how it originated. We also explain what its main characteristics are.
Byzantine civilization integrated the Roman legacy with Greek culture and Christianity.
What was the Byzantine civilization?
The Byzantine civilization was culture that developed in the Eastern Roman Empire, between 395 and 1453 ADFollowing the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 AD, the Byzantine civilization established itself as the heir to the Roman cultural tradition during the Middle Ages.
For more than a millennium, the Eastern Roman Empire (also called the “Byzantine Empire” by historians) remained united and produced its own political and cultural tradition that distinguished it from the ancient Roman Empire. Byzantine culture was also influenced by Greek tradition. and other Middle Eastern cultural traditions.
Among its main features are: the use of Greek as an official languagethe creation of an Orthodox Church as a Christian branch independent of Western tradition and the exaltation of the power of the emperor.
In the architectural and artistic aspect, the city of Byzantium was established as a cultural capital in the entire region. He stood out for adapting Roman constructions and give them new uses and their own decorative style. The Hagia Sophia Cathedral is one of the characteristic architectural expressions of Byzantine architecture.
See also: Babylonian civilization
Characteristics of the Byzantine civilization
- He built an empire that occupied Anatolia, Greece and territories in the Italian and Iberian peninsulas, between 395 and 1453 AD.
- She was established as the heir to the Roman Empire throughout the Middle Ages.
- It developed a rich culture marked by the Roman legacy, Greek tradition and Christianity.
- It had a history marked by periods of rise and decline of imperial power combined with the constant stalking of borders.
- He created the Orthodox Church as an independent branch within Christianity.
Geographic location of the Byzantine civilization
The city of Byzantium, the center of Byzantine civilization, was located on the western side of the Bosphorus Strait. It is currently known as Istanbul and is the capital of Türkiye..
The Byzantine Empire covered, for much of its history, the territories of the current countries of Turkey and Greece. In some periods it included parts of the Italian peninsula, the south of the Iberian peninsula and part of Egypt.
History of Byzantine civilization
In the 10th and 11th centuries, monasteries began to be established as important fiefdoms.
Between the 5th and 10th centuries AD, the Byzantine civilization underwent political, economic and cultural transformations that led it to differentiate itself from the ancient Roman Empire and turned it into a distinct civilization, with its own tradition and identity.
- 5th and 6th centuries AD. c. This period marked the splendor of the Eastern Roman Empire (as opposed to the disintegration of the Western Roman Empire with its capital in Rome, starting in 476 AD). The reign of Justinian I (527-565 AD), the highest expression of this period, was marked by the solidity of public institutions, territorial expansion, economic prosperity and cultural diversity. However, after his reign, the difficulty of maintaining political unity with the West became clear.
- 7th century ADByzantine life was marked by a crisis that profoundly affected the structures of the empire. Islamic peoples occupied the eastern provinces of the empire and the need for military investment was revived. Central state authority weakened and a serious process of impoverishment of the peasantry began, which was worsened by the greater need for tax collection. The imperial dynasty that began with the government of Heraclitus (610-641 AD) diminished its contacts with the West and was concerned instead with the invasions that attacked its eastern border. The Heraclian dynasty sought to maintain three essential elements of Justinian policies: public law, the wealth and preponderance of the city of Byzantium as the capital, and a model of autocratic and sacralized imperial government.
- 8th and 9th centuries AD. c. At the end of the crisis period, the Byzantine Empire had undergone profound changes: it had shrunk in size, had a strengthened military structure, had a coherent government administration, had developed in the rural world to the detriment of the urban world, and had Greek as the predominant language and cultural tradition. Furthermore, Byzantium was undergoing a process of religious restructuring. The dispute over the use and power of images between iconoclasts and iconodules revealed the deep ties that united political and religious powers.
- 10th century d. c. Towards the end of the previous century, the Macedonian dynasty prevailed. Under his command, Byzantium experienced what is known as the “second Byzantine golden age”: a period of internal political and social consolidation and cultural apogee. Imperial authority was strengthened, urban centers were revived and great Christian monasteries appeared, which were established as powerful fiefdoms. In addition, diplomatic ties with the Bulgarian and Slavic cultures in the north of the empire were reoriented.
- 11th and 12th centuries AD. During this period, Byzantium experienced a demographic growth in the rural world, which allowed for an increase in production and a slight but constant improvement in the economy and trade. In addition, it was marked by the political and military alliance with the powers of the West, in order to recover lost territories in Anatolia. This gave rise to the Crusades, campaigns of Western conquest in Eastern territories. On the other hand, the local aristocracies benefited from contacts with the West through the Latin merchants of Venice and Genoa, and enjoyed an enrichment that allowed them to reposition themselves before the imperial State and impose themselves as lords over the peasantry.
- 13th century AD c. The Western powers sought to impose themselves on Byzantium, and in 1204 they took Constantinople. For more than half a century, there was what is known as Partitio romaniae (“Partition of the Roman Empire”): the imperial territories were divided between different powers. In 1261, Michael VIII Palaiologos reconquered the capital and reunified part of the empire, although it was deeply weakened.
- 14th and 15th centuries AD. This last stage was marked by attempts to restore imperial power. However, the borders were continually besieged by Ottomans and Serbs, and trade was seriously affected by the predominance of Venice and Genoa. On the other hand, state power suffered from the decline in tax collection. Religious powers and large landowners gained greater control of land and different feudal privileges. Finally, the weakened imperial power could not cope with the Ottoman invasion and in 1453 AD. C. lost its capital, Constantinople.
Society of Byzantine Civilization
Given its privileged location, Byzantium It was a point of cultural and ethnic convergence, characterized by an extremely varied population. The Byzantines identified at the same time with their Greek Hellenic tradition, their Roman citizenship and their Christian religion.
The local upper classes lived in the cities.which were linked to imperial power, trade and land ownership. In addition, they were populated by all those people who were not dedicated to rural production: specialized artisans, merchants, traders, tradespeople, etc.
The majority of the population lived in rural areas. Economic inequality among peasants increased throughout Byzantine history. Upper-class landowners, who were linked to the local powers of the cities and the imperial court, managed to obtain privileges and avoid paying taxes. The bulk of the contributions fell on the rest of the peasants, who worked on their own small plots, rented plots from other owners or worked for a day’s pay.
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Byzantine culture
Byzantine culture was influenced by the creation of the Orthodox Church.
Byzantine culture was marked by the heritage of three cultural traditions: the Roman, the Greek and the Christian.
The Roman tradition was expressed in the organization of institutions and in the relevance of what publicof that which belongs to all citizens and that refers to the state unit that allows the coexistence of different peoples and cultures within the empire.
Since the disintegration of the Western Roman Empire and the creation of different Germanic kingdoms in Europe, the Byzantine Empire distanced itself from the Latin tradition. Greek culture, part of its empire, was imposed as the dominant tradition. Greek became the official languageapart from being the most widely used by the population within the empire. The Greek intellectual and philosophical legacy continued to develop under the protection of Byzantium.
Another fundamental aspect of Byzantine culture was Christianity.. The majority of the Byzantine population was Christian. The bishops were part of the institutional framework of imperial power. The Patriarch of Constantinople (one of the five ecumenical bishops of the Christian Church organization of the time) was chosen directly by the Byzantine emperor.
These cultural legacies combined to give rise to a unique Byzantine identity, which was expressed in different artistic, architectural and literary styles.
Religion of the Byzantine civilization
The dominant religion in the Byzantine Empire was Christianity.. The Patriarch of Constantinople was one of the five ecumenical bishops of the early organization of the Christian church, called the Pentarchy (along with the patriarchs of Rome, Antioch, Jerusalem, and Alexandria).
With the fall of the Western Roman Empire, the patriarch of Constantinople established himself as the main reference of ChristianityHowever, for several centuries the preponderance of one bishop over the rest was the focus of power disputes.
Around the 11th century, what is known as the “great schism” of Christianity occurred: the Eastern and Western churches were officially excluded as separate institutions. The Eastern Church took the name of the Orthodox Church.. Byzantine believers considered their religious practice to be closer to original Christian doctrine. Over time, the Orthodox Christian tradition took on traits from Slavic cultures and became increasingly differentiated from the Western Christian tradition.
Economy of the Byzantine civilization
The imperial economy depended on tax collection from the peasantry.
The economy of the Byzantine civilization went through different stages of growth and decline. These advances and…