Byzantine Iconoclasm

The Byzantine world was forever altered by the rapid conquest of territories which the Arab armies began in the seventh century. These conquests were due in large part to the martial ability of the Arabic army. Later, tying administrative power to Arab culture, religious unity, and even Islam’s similarities to Christianity aided in the retention and Arabization of the captured territory. In all but one of these cases, the Arabic states followed models created by the Roman, and later, the…

Byzantine was an empire lost to the void of time, its memory wiped from minds of all. Lars Brownworth, an established author, tried to do justice to the book and offer a voice to the ones drowned out by the pages of history. He told the stories of a great empire that served as a ground of rebirth for a crumbling Rome, rescuing it from a certain doom, in an attempt to expose one to the history of Byzantine vast enough to rival the lands of the empire during the reign of Justinian. The author…

Comparing and Contrasting the Middle Ages and the Italian Renaissance During the Renaissance many of the artistic and governmental styles that we use today were developed and some of the greatest artists and thinkers that have lived were born like Shakespeare the playwright and poet. But the gap between the development of ancient-classical Greece and Rome and the High Italian Renaissance is a big one. There had to be something in the middle to bridge that gap, and there was; the Middle…

Inhabitants of the Byzantine Empire, also known as New Rome, valued religious cohesion, and the previous ideal of mos maiorum was now mirrored in Orthodox Christianity’s fundamental role in New Rome. Therefore, doctrinal disputes could cause significant problems. Subsequently, emperors took an active role in them, which succeeded in furthering the significance of these disputes. This eventually led to what is known as the Iconoclast, meaning ‘breaking of images,’ in the eighth century. The…

Charlemagne, also known as Charles the Great, greatly impacted Ancient Rome through his role as Emperor of Western Europe. Through art and culture Charlemagne’s traditions still exist today. In order to understand his impact it is crucial to learn his background, time as a ruler, effect on Ancient Rome, the Carolingian renaissance, and traditions that exist today. Just like any other ruler, Charlemagne had to start somewhere. Unfortunately the exact date of Charlemagne’s birth is unknown,…

The church has undergone many reconstructions throughout the years. Over three churches were rebuilt in that spot until Justinian created Hagia Sophia and that is what is there to this day. Justinian is definitely in a place to be honored for the greatness that he accomplished. He set an example for others that greatness could be achieved and to be proud of their religion. He built Hagia Sophia to let others understand the superiority of Christianity by building an immense church with a…

The medieval period lasted from the 5th century to the 15th century. It began with the collapse of the western, Mediterranean region of the Roman Empire. During this time, diseases like the bubonic plague. The plague spread through fleas that were on rats on ships that carried cargo being traded. Warfare also weakened Europe as a whole causing it to change to a more rural and less populated place. People such as the Goths, Visigoths, Franks, Lombards, Angles, and Saxons also emerged as the…

The emergence of the Ottoman empire began in 1299 by Oghuz Turks under the rule of Osman 1 in Northwestern Anatolia. Conquests in the Balkans between the years 1362-1389 and the overthrowing of the Byzantine empire had a profound impact on the geopolitics of the Ottoman empire, ultimately transforming the Ottoman empire as a transcontinental empire and claimant to the caliphate. The Ottoman empire was the leading empire of the Islamic world that controlled large swaths of territory that ranged…

history, there have been hundreds, if not thousands of empires that have risen and fallen over millennia. Some of them stand out more than others. In this paper, three of some of the most powerful empires will be discussed: the Mongol empire, the Byzantine Empire, and the Russian Empire. When one hears the term “Mongol Empire” they may think of none other than Genghis Khan. Born Temujin, near present day Ulaanbaatar, In 1206, Genghis Khan rose to power through a charismatic personality and…

THESIS STATEMENT: Ideas, institutions, and arts are the building blocks of the ancient civilizations that have impacted the development of the world. The classical time period was an epoch of change and a transition from isolated societies, composed mostly of hunting and gathering, into vast empires. This classical time of ever changing religious and philosophies ideas will greatly impact the growth and development of the world for years to come. Greece and Rome are two of the five most…