Engineering An Empire - The Byzantines

Name: _____________________ Engineering An Empire: The Byzantines Hi. I’m Peter Weller for the History Channel. Join me while we explore The Byzantines. 1. The Byzantines called themselves “Romanos” or those who continued the legacy Roman _______________ of the ___________ Empire. Mediterranean 2. The Byzantine Empire was the dominant force in the ____________. colony 3. Hi, I’m Peter Weller. Byzantium was an ancient Greek ___________ founded around 600 BC named after its King Byzantas. Constantine 4. November 8, 324 AD, after two decades of bloody civil war, the emperor ______________ finally seized sole control of the entire Roman Empire. 5. What did Constantine achieve (list several)? Constantine achieved: - Legalization of Christianity - Reorganization of the Roman Empire - Establishment of Constantinople as the new capital - Shift of imperial focus towards the eastern part of the empire 6. What is the name of Constantine’s city today, population 12 million? a. New Rome c. Istanbul b. Constantinople d. Byzantium 7. How long were the great aqueducts that were built to supply water to Constantine’s city? 8. What modern day country does Istanbul lie in today? 9. 410 AD, Rome has fallen to ___________________ called the Visigoths. Roman fled eastward to the safe haven of Constantinople. Who was the threat in the east? 10. Describe the walls built to keep out this threat: 11. Attila got some help from Mother Nature in his attempt to take Constantinople. What happened? 12. The Huns never breached (broke through) the city walls. a. True b. False 13. What was the giant chain used for? 14. Constantinople was the ___________ city in the world. 15. Throughout the 5th century, the _______________ Roman Empire had been steadily disintegrating under the iron fist of barbaric tribes. In 476, the last Roman emperor ______________ (left) the throne. To many, the Roman Empire had finally ___________. 16. Justinian I ruled during the Byzantine Empire’s golden age. He was born a peasant. He married _____________. He promoter her to _______________. Together they would rule the empire as ____________. 17. Justinian was wildly popular. a. True b. False 18. Describe the Hippodrome: The Hippodrome was a massive chariot racing arena and social center in Constantinople 19. After the Nika Riot, why didn’t Justinian pack his bags and leave? Theodora persuaded him to stay and confront the rebellion 20. How many revels are killed in the Hippodrome? Thousands were killed 21. Justinian leaves us with a great architectural legacy: he built the city’s main cathedral called the Hagia Sophia ___________________________. Today we call it the Hagia Sophia. 22. Describe the Hagia Sophia: The Hagia Sophia was a grand cathedral with a massive dome, intricate mosaics, and impressive architecture blending Christian and Islamic influences 23. By the end of Justinian’s reign, the Byzantine Empire had grown to its greatest size encompassing Egypt Sicily ________ and Palestine, Asia Minor, Italy, _____________ and southward through North Africa and Spain _______________. 24. After Justinian, the economy and the people of the Byzantium are better off than they were before. a. True b. False Basil II 25. The man at the helm of the Byzantine’s comeback is ______________. A man of the people, Basil II was the most brilliant military mind the Byzantines would ever produce. 26. What is a tebuchet? A trebuchet is a medieval siege weapon used to hurl large projectiles at enemy fortifications 27. What did Basil do to Samuel’s army? Basil defeated Samuel’s army in a decisive battle 1025 28. In _______ AD, when Basil died, the Byzantines were at the pinnacle of their power, but the empire external threats was left rudderless and vulnerable to ____________________. 29. What did the Ottomans use against the Byzantine walls? Were they successful? The Ottomans used cannons against the Byzantine walls, and they were successful in breaching them, leading to the fall of Constantinople in 1453 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- After 1,100 years the Ottomans finally breached the city’s walls. Constantinople is now Istanbul. The Byzantine Empire had ended, but its innovation and engineering feats stand today as a testament to the magnificent civilization, on that borrowed from Rome’s own chapter in the book of great empires and then added its own.