Rome Vs. Byzantine Empire Compare and Contrast

After the collapse of the romish imperium in 476 C.E., much of the Mediterranean basin was in disorder with no leadership. Germanic tribes from the make out union had conquered the dwell emperor and claimed the land their own. But in the east hemisphere, a new conglomerate was blooming, the gnarled imperium. The convoluted conglomerate was some(prenominal) uniform and unalike from the previous papistical conglomerate, and its corkingest enchantr, Justinian, do it his main ambition to heal the confounded territory, and exponent of big(p) of Italy.         The empire of Byzantium was the still neoclassical empire to survive the curious every(prenominal)y surd period of cartridge holder some 500 age aft(prenominal) the turn of the millennium. Problems such(prenominal) as epidemics, dioceanses, declining populations, economic contraction all(prenominal) contributed to fall of capital of Italy. Political turmoil, social unrest, and outside military threats in like manner ravaged the late roman strike pudding stone, causing its demise. Yet Byzantium fill outd to pack onto power end-to-end this time because it controlled legion(predicate) key sea routes coming to and from the eastern Mediterranean Sea. The snarled conglomerate in addition had m either of its roads and body of water ship commission still intact, as healthy as methods of ache distance communication, with a set of authoritative institutions from the exist papistic conglomerate. Byzantium became a prosperous center of commerce. Because of these economic and semi policy-making strongholds, Byzantium right a fashion gained recognition as an empire that produced fine manufacture goods including silk and items of interest. This modeling of economic strength is similar to the type of saving that the bet roman print Empire relied on. Rome was very well(p) know for its fabricate goods, offering items of ample trade prise such as gl assware, jewelry, bronze items, linen and wo! ol textiles, agitate tools, and pottery. Thus, the snarly Empire carried on the roman letters legacy of healthy dependence on industry and trade (Marston 80, Evans 121, Adkins 254). Roman standard of practice of court-ordered philosophy and mould were also carried on by the involveds gnarled ambassadors and representatives traveled east and introduced writing, Christianity, law write in codes, and political organization to Slavic peoples in Eastern Europe stretch to regions of western Russia. This helped integrate many different cultures into one, thus deliverance unification to the area east of the Mediterranean. This way of spreading different concepts to areas neighboring the knotty Empire goes script in hand with the format the Romans use. This influenced stirred some(prenominal) the areas of Northern Africa and Western Europe the very(prenominal) way it touched the Roman Empire. The introduction of multi hea thereforeish interaction with adjoin lands help ed yield in the advancement of the Byzantine Empire in ways similar to how the Romans rose to power. Remarkably, the Byzantines built an Empire that was pissedly similar to the Romans in how they ruled themselves. Both empires had governments that were center tightly nearly a strong centralized political system, with an emperor overseeing political, military, judicial, financial, and religious issues. The latter emperor, Constantine of Byzantium, also carried on the Roman tradition of exuberant spending, building a new capitol modify with museums, libraries, and artistic treasures. In addition, he constructed glorious marble churches, palaces, semipublic buildings, and baths (Evans 103). These frameworks of government, as well as cases of how emperors lived, show further similarities in the midst of the Byzantine and Roman Empires. Although there were many similarities surrounded by the Byzantine Empire and the Roman Empire, there were also respective(a) residuums. P erhaps the most enceinte difference is established i! n the way the Byzantines ruled constituents of their empire in comparison to the way the Romans ruled portions of their empire. The Byzantines true political and social ad incisivelyments in the saying of Islamic conquests (something Romans never had to impart with for a very capacious time). The arrangement that Byzantine rulers serene was called the physical composition system. Under the theme system, a portion of the empire (a theme) was placed under the influence of a general. This general took on the role of overseeing his themes military disproof structures as well as its civil administrations. These generals were subject to close supervision by the government, to go on the possibility of decentralization of power and authority. The generals would recruit armies from free grouchs who would therefore quickly make to counter any possible outpouring from invaders. This system hugely strengthened Byzantiums defensive military go abouts, and strengthen the peas ant class, resulting in greater agriethnical production (Adkins 302, Evans 98, Catholic Encyclopedia). A plump for difference between the Byzantines and the Romans is revealed the way their military systems operated. The Romans oft utilize their military in an offensive manner up until the last few centuries before the collapse of the empire. Romes vast armies oft crusaded against surrounding settlements to gain territory and expand their bulky realm. The Byzantines, however, regularly used their military in a defensive manner. surround civilizations such as the Sasanid Empire comm lonesome(prenominal) threatened the Byzantines, as did general Islamic conquests. Therefore, the Byzantines spent much time and effort on developing defensive tools and techniques. One tool they developed was a variation of a flamethrower that became known as Greek harry (Adkins 222). This implement used sulphur, lime, and petroleum to literally shine exhaust frontlines of invasive enemies. The fire from this weapon also burn on the surface ! of water.. Thus, if an attack was approaching by sea, the Byzantine armies could deploy the use of this weapon, and either halt the precedence of these ships, or, the most denounce effect, simply burn the ship and the men in the water. This weapon gave the Byzantines a distinctive defensive edge, and also helped raise the difference between their battle styles, and those of the Romans. An interesting difference between the Byzantines and the Romans lowlife be observed in the general cultures of each(prenominal) society. For example, the bureaucrats in Roman government were not particularly loud or sweet wattle (with the exception of Julius Creaser). All officials, including the emperor, dressed in simple fair robes. This was in great contrast to the ways in which Byzantine emperors presented themselves. In the sixth century C.E., Byzantine emperors became exalted, absolute rulers. Therefore, they were pictured in a manner that distinctly presented their status. The emperor s wore a deeply bejeweled crown, and dressed in elaborate silk robes coloured dark, rich purple. regal was reserved only for persons associated with the ruling house, as it was a emblazon signifying power. As a result, it was forbidden for anyone else to vesture it. An other example of the Byzantine courts sophisticated approach to everyday affairs was the way in which even high subjects presented themselves to the emperor. onward saying anything to him, they had to plane themselves three times, and then kiss the emperors hold and feet (Marston 74). After this, then they could begin to discuss their business with the majestic ruler. Complex demos were not reserved for subjects either. By the tenth century C.E. the emperor himself had engineers throw devices that created stunning effects and awed irrelevant visitors. In front of an audience, the imperial throne itself sometimes locomote up and pop to accentuate the exalted status of the emperor. These cultural examples of imperial presentation and dress further highlight ! differences between the Byzantine and Roman Empires. The most noteworthy emperor to rule the early Byzantine Empire was Justinian (527-656 C.E.

). Justinian is best recognized for his tuition of a spanking code of laws that came to govern the Byzantine Empire for centuries after his find. These laws link to be an consequential reference to establishments of law today. This Code of law, which Justinian called the star iuris civilis (Body of the Civil Law), was based upon the codification of Roman law (Evans 154). almost immediately after he became emperor, Justinian coherent a methodical evaluation of Roman l aw that was to a greater cessation detailed than ever before. Justinians law code came to influence subsequent emperors, and also served as the basis for many law codes to consent in western Europe. Yet the development of a revise code of law was not Justinians most determined undertaking. Justinians superlative efforts went into the attempt of trying to recover the Western Roman Empire from Germanic tribes. His dream was to bring back Roman influence throughout the regions surrounding the Mediterranean Sea. To accomplish his dream, he appoint his highest general, Belisarius, to hazard on a series of military campaigns that would regain the lost land of the Roman Empire. By the end of Justinians reign in 565 C.E., he had reclaimed a large portion of the classical Roman Empire. Unfortunately, Byzantium did not welcome the resources to uphold the gains of their armys conquests. The Byzantines did, however, manage to claim the capitol city of Rome. Consequently, Rome became the headquarters of Byzantine power in Western Europ! e. The efforts of Justinian to reclaim the power of the Romans in the Mediterranean were only partially successful. He and Belisarius did regain the city of Rome itself, only they did not possess the resources to sustain their gains on any other front against the invading Germanic tribes, failing just as Rome did years prior. After the downfall of the great Roman Empire in 476 C.E. at the hands of invading Germanic tribes, Rome was in ruins politically, economically, and physically. But on the eastern European front, The Byzantine Empire was just beginning to flourish. umpteen similarities and differences in aspects of military, political, economic, and cultural principles were revealed between the Byzantines and the Romans. The emperor Justinian of Byzantium tried to picture his dream of recover the lost Roman Empire, though his efforts only proved partly successful. However, his most contemporarily relevant work, Justinians code, remains an important basis for the shaping of laws in societies around the world to this day. hopefully historians will continue to uncover details about these great societies and their rulers, and further better our knowledge of the postclassical period of Europe. Works Cited Adkins, Lesley and Roy. present take to Life in antiquated Rome. in the altogether York: Oxford University wardrobe; Reprint edition, 1998. Very good source I had on hand. I like the fact that it was a huge have got and could open to any page to learn fearful facts of Rome. Evans, crowd Allan. The Emperor Justinian and the Byzantine Empire (Greenwood Guides to Historic Events of the superannuated World). New York Greenwood Press: 2005. If you looking for a perfect book to delimitate the title in amazing details, this is the book for you. It was great to have a good source as utilitarian as this for writing this paper. The Byzantine Empire. Catholic Encyclopedia. © 2003Robert Appleton Company. 17 Feb. 2005 http://www.ne wadvent.org/cathen/03096a.htm.         ! Marston, Elsa. The Byzantine Empire (Cultures of the Past). New York: Benchmark Books: 1990.          If you wishing to get a full essay, order it on our website: BestEssayCheap.com

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