A cross of light bearing the inscription “in hoc signo vinces” (in
this sign you will conquer) miraculously appeared to Roman
Emperor Constantine before the battle of Milvian Bridge. His
victory over his brother-in-law and co-emperor Maxentius and
subsequent conversion to Christianity had a profound impact on
the course of Western civilization.
Byzantine is the term commonly used since the 19th century to
refer to the Greek-speaking Roman Empire of the Middle Ages
centered in the capital city of Constantinople. During much of its
history, it was known to many of its Western contemporaries as
the Empire of the Greeks, due to the dominance of the Greek
language and culture. However, it is important to remember that
the Byzantines referred to themselves as simply as the Roman
Empire. As the Byzantine era is a period largely fabricated by
historians, there is no clear consensus on exactly when the
Byzantine age begins; although many consider the reign of
Emperor Constantine the Great, who moved the imperial capital
to the glorious city of Byzantium, renamed Constantinople and
nicknamed the “New Rome,” to be the beginning. Others
consider the reign of Theodosius I (379-395), when Christianity
officially supplanted the pagan beliefs, to be the true beginning.
And yet other scholars date the start of the Byzantine age to the
era when division between the east and western halves of the
empire became permanent.
While Christianity replaced the gods of antiquity, traditional
Classical culture continued to flourish. Greek and Latin were the
languages of the learned classes. Before Persian and Arab
invasions devastated much of their eastern holdings, Byzantine
territory extended as far as south as Egypt. After a period of
iconoclastic uprising came to resolution in the 9th Century, a
second flowering of Byzantine culture arose and lasted until
Constantinople was temporarily seized by Crusaders from the
west in the 13th Century. Christianity spread throughout the
Slavic lands to the north. In 1453, Constantinople finally fell to
the Ottoman Turks effectively ending the Byzantine Empire after
more than 1,100 years. Regardless of when it began, the
Byzantine Empire continued to carry the mantle of Greek and
Roman Classical cultures throughout the Medieval era and into
the early Renaissance, creating a golden age of Christian culture
that today continues to endure in the rights and rituals of the
Eastern Orthodox Church. Byzantine art and culture was the
epitome of luxury, incorporating the finest elements from the
artistic traditions of both the East and the West.
This bronze vessel was used for burning incense and would have
been carried and swung by its chain or suspended from a wall or
ceiling. Incense was introduced into the Christian liturgy after the
reign of Constantine the Great. Open censers such as this one
represent an early form and appear in Early Byzantine mosaics,
for example those of S.Vitale in Ravenna. The censer is
hexagonal in form. The lip is wide and flat and the vessel rests
on three slightly flared legs. Suspension loops connect the three
chains to a single fastening, above which is a cross. Although the
use of censers was not confined to ecclesiastical settings, the
presence of the cross suggests that this was its original function.
