Hagia Sophia

by sword while setting the city on fire (O City Pg. 225). Niketas stated, “how horrible it was to see the divine body and blood of Christ poured out and thrown to the ground.” He went on to describe the destruction of the religious property at Hagia Sophia, which underlines the crusaders incentive, which is the difference in religion (O City Pg. 226). The barbarians would not listen to anything that anyone would have to say. If someone spoke freely they were rebuked and would have had a sword…

Architecture of the Ottoman: According to the Byzantine conception following the Roman traditions, the cities were designed and planned according to a plan in horizontal and they were arranged with arterial roads and squares. In contrast, the Ottoman conception of architecture, begin the design and planning of the city with the profile of the landscape in order to emphasize the vertical aspect and elements with the development of the most important and representative buildings in the Ottoman…

The psychological test, “The Sally-Anne Test” was devised to better understand the human mind. In 1985, it was found that autistic children were unable attribute mental states different from their own to others. These children were unable to recognize that another person, with a unique perspective and distinct mind existed. Later it was proven with similar tests that other intelligent animals, such as elephants, dogs, and chimpanzees were not able to perfectly pass the test, effectively…

When Europeans first began to step outside and explore beyond their homelands they referred everyone they encountered on their way as 'barbarians'. The term barbarian existed several thousand years back. The Greeks and the Romans used it to signify a person who is uncivilized and did not belong to their culture. In fact they had enslaved all barbarians. These encounters with other societies in far off lands, led to a curious need for the Europeans to interpret the origins and nature of these…

In Octavia Butler’s novel Parable of the Sower she writes about how religion is something that is everywhere, and there truly hasn’t been a society in history that has functioned without one. All throughout Lauren’s childhood, she was forced to follow a religion that she did not believe in due to the fact that her mother and father did believe in it. So Lauren decided to create her own religion called Earthseed. This religion has the main idea that the seeds of life can be transplanted, and can…

Flavius Valerius Constantinus, later know to the world as Constantine the Great, was born on February 21, 272 A.D. His father was Falavius Valerius Constantius; also know as Emperor Constantius I, reined in the Western Roman Empire. Constantine’s mother Helena, later named Saint Helena, was praised for her discovery of the cross on which Christ was crucified. From the beginning, Constantine was expected to have a successful military career. In 293 A.D. his father became Maximian’s Caesar,…

The Byzantine style was a form of both art and architecture, typically religious, created during the Byzantine Empire from 330 A.D. to 1453 AD. Examples being that of mosaics and domes. The Golden Age of Byzantium was the time when Christianity took ahold of both the cultural and religious state of the Byzantine Empire. Also said in the BBC “Art of Eternity” the Golden Age was “A time of unparalleled peace and prosperity.” (BBC) During this time Christianity began to spread throughout the…

During the build up to the 2016 Presidential election, the focus has been on the possibility of the first woman president of the United States of America. It is easy to forget or dismiss the impact that women have had throughout world history. From strong rulers to great thinkers history is filled with some of the most powerful and intelligent women who have defied all odds and surpassed the expected roles given to them by western civilization. Unfortunately, much of what we know about women…

instead of restoring their loss from the persecution”, such as giving money and property to bishops (Phillips). Out of all of his reforms, Constantine’s building projects were what made Christianity a major presence in the empire. Churches like the Hagia Sophia brought attraction to the people and awareness to the growing faith. Constantine’s establishment of Constantinople in the middle of the Roman Empire had also made an important input to the spread of Christianity. Constantinople was…

Justinian the Conqueror (aka The Emperor Triumphant, Barberini Ivory) is thought to have been created in Constantinople (Byzantine) in the early 6th century. The artist is unknown. It is a diptych panel in five parts. The pieces’ dimensions are: 32.4 cm by 26.8 cm by 2.8 cm deep. The second piece, Augustus of Primaporta was discovered in1863 at the villa of Augustus’ wife Livia Drusilla, and close to a late Imperial gate called Prima Porta . The artist is unknown. It is a freestanding marble…