The Eastern Roman Empire

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The Eastern Roman Empire
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Western Rome
SPLITS
EASTERN ROME
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Western Rome
EASTERN ROME
Byzantine
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After the Roman empire collapsed in the West, the
Eastern Roman Empire became the center of
civilization.

• - The capital of the Eastern Roman Empire was
  Byzantium or Constantinople as it came to be
  known.

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Due to its location, it controlled trade between
Asia and Europe.
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Politics in Constantinople

• Senate still met as in Rome but the emperor had
  absolute power.
• Emperors were the head of both the church and the
  state. Religion was closely linked to politics.
• Justinian was a strong and important emperor.

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Justinian

• Justinian became emperor in 527 and ruled until
  565.
• He launched 3 ambitious projects during his
  reign
• 1. He tried to re-conquer Roman lands to the
  west.
• 2. He ordered a team of Greek and Latin
  scholars to compile and simplify the laws.

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Justinian

• He undertook a massive building program in
  Constantinople.
• - His works on the city and the laws were of
  lasting value to civilization. His wars,
  however, proved to be a waste of men and .
  After his death, all the conquered territory
  quickly passed back to the barbarians.

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Justinians most important contribution was his
Code.

• The Code of Justinian summarized the laws of many
  of the provinces of the Roman Empire from the
  last 400 years.
• Using these summaries, Justinian created new laws.

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Some important principles of Roman Law

• All persons had the right to equal treatment
  under the law.
• A person was considered innocent until proven
  guilty.
• The burden of proof rested with the accuser
  rather than the accused.
• A person should be punished only for actions, not
  for thoughts.
• Any law that seemed unreasonable or unfair could
  be set aside.

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Code of Justinian

• Law students were taught how to use the code.
  And it was the basis for Byzantine law for the
  next 900 years!

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• Does our legal code need some Spring cleaning??
• Listen to these . . .

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Georgias Crazy Laws

• It is illegal to use profanity in front of a dead
  body which lies in a funeral home or in a
  coroners office.
• Donkeys may not be kept in bathtubs.
• Persons under the age of 16 may not play pinball
  after 1100 PM. (Athens-Clarke County)
• The fine for waving a gun in public is higher
  than actually shooting it. (Columbus)

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Theodora, Justinians Wife

• Answer questions, using p. 303

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Theodora

• - Theodora recognized the right of women and
  made sure others did too.
• - Through her influence, laws were made
  protecting women and granting women greater
  benefits in divorce cases.

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Religion was important to the Byzantine Empire.

• People debated issues such as the nature of God
  and Jesus.
• The church was connected to the government.
• Conflicts over icons weakened the empire. Icons
  were pictures of Mary, Jesus, and holy figures
  that were sold in markets.

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Icons
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Religion

• Many objected to the use of icons because
  they felt people prayed to them as
  if they were idols.
• Those that objected to these figures were called
  iconoclasts.
• Remember the 10 Commandments . . . .

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Deuteronomy 58-9 (King James Version)  8Thou
shalt not make thee any graven image, or any
likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or
that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the
waters beneath the earth   9Thou shalt not bow
down thyself unto them, nor serve them for I the
LORD thy God am a jealous God,  
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Iconoclasts were one of the reasons the Christian
church split in 1054 A.D.

• Other reasons
• 1. Pope in Rome supported the use of icons, the
  Byzantine emperor didnt.

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East v. West

• 2. The pope led the church in Rome, the patriarch
  led the Eastern Church.
• - The bishop of Constantinople
• was known
  as the
• patriarch.

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East v. West

• 3. The pope in Rome claimed to be the leader of
  all Christians. However, the patriarch refused
  to accept the popes authority.

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Religious Split

• 4. Priest of the eastern empire conducted
  services in the local language of their member.
  Priests in western Europe conducted services only
  in Latin.
• 5. Roman priests could not
• marry, while Eastern priests did.

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Religious Split

• The break between Rome and Constantinople
  became final in 1054.
• That year the pope and patriarch excommunicated
  each other.
• Excommunicate they were declared outside the
  church, cut off from all Christians.

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Religious Split

• The western branch of the Christian Church became
  known as the Roman Catholic Church. (Catholic
  comes from a Latin word meaning universal.)
• The eastern branch became known as the Eastern
  Orthodox Church. (Orthodox comes from 2 Greek
  words means correct belief.)

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Christian Church Spilt p.305
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• ISLAM

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Rise of a New Faith

• After Justinian's death, much of his empire was
  reconquered
• by barbarian groups.
• Then armies of Arabs, inspired by the prophet
  Muhammad, burst forth from the Arabian desert and
  threatened the Byzantine empires very survival.

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The Spread of Islam

• In the 600s Arab victories claimed the lands in
  Syria, Palestine, Egypt, northern Africa and
  Spain.
• Bedouins were the Arabs from the desert who were
  nomads and worshipped
• many gods
• and spirits.

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The Spread of Islam

• The Bedouins believed spirits called jinn were
  thought to reside in rocks and other natural
  objects.
• Mecca was home to the most sacred rock.
• The Black Stone of Mecca was embedded within the
  wall of a shrine called the Kaaba, which in
  Arabic means cube.

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Kaaba

• The Kaaba contains idols representing 360 gods.
• Pilgrims traveled to this
• shrine in the holy months, making Mecca an
  important religious center.
• In this busy town, around the year 570, Muhammad
  was born.

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Muhammad's Life

• Orphaned at six
• Was not literate
• Was a successful merchant
• Came to believe in one god, Allah (the same god
  worshipped by the Jews and Christians)

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Mohammed created Islam

• Islam means surrender to God.
• The Koran contains the teachings of Mohammed.

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The Five Pillars of Islam

• Faith
• Prayer
• Alms
• Fasting
• Pilgrimage

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Islam spread through jihads or holy wars.

• Muslims conquered Spain, Portugal, North Africa,
  Palestine, and the Fertile Crescent.
• The Koran written in
• Arabic was considered
• the only true word so
• it spread easily through Arab lands.

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Muslim Empire
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Arabs were tolerant rulers who treated the Jews
and Christians with respect.
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Islam split into two sects.

• Shiites are the minority group who believe that
  Mohammeds grandson, Husayn, was the rightful
  caliph.
• Caliph a political and religious leader who
  followed Muhammad.
• The Sunni are the orthodox Muslims and are in the
  majority in the Muslim world.

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Accomplishments of Islam

• Translated Greek books into Arabic
• First chemical laboratories
• Treatment of disease (diagnosed smallpox and
  wrote an encyclopedia of medicine)

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Accomplishments of Islam

• Created algebra
• Arabic numerals
• Wrote the Arabian Nights folktales about
• Alladins magic lamp
• and stories of Sinbad
• the Sailor.