Byzantine Empire and Justinian Code

Notes - Tuesday, Jan. 28 

Main Ideas:

•Roman culture continued in the Byzantine Empire for a thousand years after the fall of Rome. They considered themselves Roman.

•Emperor Justinian regained a lot of the old Roman Empire and helped to preserve Roman law. He also helped restore Constantinople.

Words Worth Knowing:

•Byzantine Empire – eastern Roman Empire that lasted 1,000 years after the Western Empire fell (named after original city Byzantium)

•Justinian I – emperor of Byzantine and reconquered much of the  old Roman empire, aka Justinian the Great

•Justinian Code – Emperor Justinian took 400 years of Roman laws and combined them into one book of 5,000 laws.  This book was used for 900 years and is the basis for some laws used today. (Included laws on marriage, slavery, property, womens rights, crime)

• Theodora – wife of Justinian, saved his rule by telling him not to flee during a riot, very influential during Justinian’s rule.

•Constantinople – center of the Byzantine Empire; most influential city in Europe for 900 years.

•Hagia Sophia – church built by Justinian, greatest Christian church in the east until it was turned into a mosque. Still stands today. Name means “church of Holy Wisdom” 

This video is a Crash Course on the Fall of Rome through the Byzantine Empire. If you were gone, it wouldn't hurt to watch all of it (12 minutes), but we watched the last 5 minutes in class.

For a quick run-down of Justinian I, check out this video!

Pages

IF YOU NEED HELP DECIDING WHAT GOES ON THE RIGHT AND LEFT SIDE INFO IN YOUR NOTEBOOK: CLICK HERE.

RIGHT SIDE ACTIVITIES:

• Journal entry - see the Daily Journals page.
• Main Ideas (above)
• Words Worth Knowing (above)

LEFT SIDE ACTIVITY:

• Justinian Code vs. American Code Foldable (Color the mosaic for extra points!)
• Due to this being a foldable, please ask me for a copy in class if you need it.

Resources

Click here for a timeline of the entire Byzantine Empire.
Metropolitan Museum of Art's Byzantine Art History Timeline shows everything from mosaics to jewelry.
For a time-lapsed video of how the map of the Byzantine Empire changed over time, watch this video here.
For an online 360 degree tour of Hagia Sophia, visit here.
If you want more information about Theodora, visit this website.