"Byzantium" by Rena Mashinsky

An essay on the Byzantine Empire by Rena Mashinsky

Rena Mashinsky
Dr. Kennon

World History

12 February 2015

After looking into the details of Byzantium, it is clear why you said, “it is seen as the transition between the ancient and emerging modern world.” As I analyzed each part of the Byzantine Empire, I noticed how there was always a combination of an improvement of the old (from the previous Roman Empire) and a development of the new. The incorporation of former techniques as well as new ones resulted in the Byzantine Empire, which stood as a crucial transition period in history. Whether it was a more modification or invention, everything the leaders of the Byzantine Empire accomplished would help shape the coming modern world.

It all began in 324 AD, when Constantine conquered the entire Roman Empire. It is said that as he outlined his empire, he remarked, "I will go as far as he until he who leads me stops". From these words, it is understood that from the beginning, Constantine had a set plan; this plan was to go as far as he could. Constantine did just this, as he built Nova Roma (New Rome) and named the empire’s capital city Constantinople, after himself. Constantine would continue by building the empire using the engineering techniques perfected during the Roman Empire. In addition to using past Roman skills to be successful, Constantine also recognized there was a large orthodox christian population within the empire, and used that to his advantage too, by honoring Jesus. Each of Constantine’s actions accurately displays the recurring theme of the Byzantine Empire, using old expertise while also adding to previous knowledge effectively.

As Constantine’s reign came to an end, another ruler called Valens came to power. Soon after he began ruling, Valens would  initiate one of the greatest engineering achievements of the ancient world. Valens’s reign began with a difficult water scarcity problem, but intelligently, he solved it by building the world longest aqueduct system. Throughout the years, sixty of these were built, but the most impressive of them all had a staggering height of ninety feet. Valens realized that the great Roman aqueducts had (Pagan) carvings in them, and figured he would use this idea and put (Christian) carvings in his as well, for cultural reasons. After looking at the details and seeing the repetition of the carvings, it’s apparent that Valens continued with the same method of ruling as Constantine and the same theme of the entire Byzantine empire. Valens used previously invented skills and built off of those, and as a result, solved a huge problem and even caused the population to grow dramatically until it was almost half a million!

Every empire throughout history had some type of threat and Byzantium is no exception. As time went on and Constantinople got wealthier, Atilla and the Hans came closer and closer. As they approached from Mongolia, Constantinople created a plan. They realized they needed a strategic advantage. They began to pull architectural strategy from the Roman walls, and though they used much of it, they realized Romans had never dealt with the problem of earthquakes. To solve this issue, they understood they needed to use a different material and so they used limestone mortar, instead of the concrete like the Romans. After the Huns were able to destroy parts of these walls, they then used layering techniques to build a barrier, adding a triple line of defense beyond the original walls. Because of this, Atilla was never able to conquer the city. By modifying the way the Roman walls were built while also inventing new ways to add more,  the theme of the empire remains the same throughout this whole wall building process.

As the golden age of the empire had just begun, Justinian then came to throne. Though Justinian’s rule involved much violence and fighting, one positive thing we remember him for was the incredible architectural structure he created, the Hagia Sophia ("Church of Holy Wisdom"). Its builders used an architectural device attempted by the Romans, to build a dome. Unlike the Romans who failed to do this, the Byzantines succeeded. The church's dome rose one hundred and eighty four feet from the floor. The Hagia Sophia is known for more than its novel design; it’s also known for its detailed monogrammed columns & mosaics. Justinian’s work as a leader and builder also follows along with the theme of using old ideas but perfecting them to end with a better result!

In conclusion, one of the main reasons Byzantium stood as a segway from the ancient world to the modern world is because of the way the rulers and people developed it. As shown in each of the previous examples, the incorporation of former Roman techniques as well as new invented ones resulted in the immense architecture and overall culture of the empire. By bringing old and new together, just as each of the Byzantine rulers did, a great empire like Byzantium can be achieved.