SOL QUIZ 15

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SOL QUIZ 15

• Byzantine Empire II

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1. Three of the following are reasons why the
Emperor Constantine selected the ancient town of
Byzantium as the site for his new capital of
Constantinople. Which is NOT? a. It had an
excellent harbor. b. Its nearness to Rome would
facilitate communications with the Western
Empire. c. It was strategically located to deal
with the Persians in the east and barbarians
to the north. d. It was on the natural trade
routes connecting Asia with Europe and the
Black Sea with the Mediterranean Sea.
Constantinople was picked as capital because of
its excellent harbor, its strategic location and
access to trade routes.
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2. What was a result of Justinian's attempt to
reunite the eastern and western halves of the old
Roman Empire? a. The effort was a complete
failure. b. All of the western lands of the old
empire became part of the Byzantine
Empire. c. The attempt led to a return of
prosperity to Rome and Italy. d. Italy and North
Africa were conquered, but then lost to new
invaders.
As a result of Justinian's attempt to reunite the
eastern and western halves of the old Roman
Empire, Italy, and North Africa were conquered,
but later lost to new invaders.
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3. Which of the following is a principle
contained in the Code of Justinian? a. Imperial
judges can interpret the laws of the empire. b.
The power of the emperor is limited by custom and
tradition. c. The older laws of the Roman Empire
should be discarded and new laws enacted. d.
There should be a division of power between the
Eastern and Western Roman emperors.
The Code of Justinian contains the principle that
imperial judges can interpret the laws of the
empire. The code preserved much of Roman law and
legal practices including the principle that the
will of the emperor was law.
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4. All of the following groups became threats to
the Byzantine Empire after the death of
Justinian. Which group presented the greatest
danger? a. Visigoths b. Muslims c. Slavs d.
Bulgars
The Muslims presented the greatest danger to the
Byzantine Empire after the death of Justinian.
After converting to Islam during the seventh
century, the Arabs burst out of Arabia. By the
year 700, the Arabs conquered Byzantine provinces
in Syria, Palestine, Egypt, and North Africa.
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5. The iconoclastic controversy that arose during
the 8th century in the Byzantine Empire involved
a conflict a. between Christians and Muslims b.
among officers of the imperial army c. over the
use of statues and religious paintings in
Christian churches d. among the four patriarches
of the Orthodox Church
The iconoclastic controversy involved a conflict
over the use of statues and religious paintings
in Christian churches. Emperor Leo III (714-741)
opposed the use of religious paintings and
statues in churches. He ordered the removal of
all icons -- small religious panel-paintings --
from churches.
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6. What was a basic cause of the schism (final
split) between the Catholic and Orthodox Churches
in 1054? a. the seizure of Constantinople by
crusaders from Western Europe b. the emperor and
religious leaders of the Byzantine Empire
refused to accept the authority of the pope c.
the support given by the pope to Slavic rebels in
the Byzantine Empire d. the Turkish demand
that the Byzantine emperor break with the
Catholic Church
A basic cause of the schism between the Catholic
and Orthodox Churches was the refusal of the
Byzantine emperor and religious leaders to accept
the authority of the pope over Byzantine
churches.