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.
