Byzantines
Constantinople's medieval citizens
Byzantines are inhabitants or citizens of the Byzantine Empire, the eastern continuation of the Roman Empire centered on Constantinople from roughly 330 to 1453 CE.
The term also describes anything relating to that civilization—its art, politics, or Orthodox Christianity.
Because Byzantine court politics were notoriously complex, byzantine (lowercase) means excessively intricate or labyrinthine: byzantine regulations, byzantine scheming. (Lowercase byzantine describes complexity.)
- TheodoraFeminine name, Greek origin
- cataphractFully armored horse soldier
- themesMain ideas throughout
- siegeEncirclement forcing surrender
Attacking revered traditions
- patriarchMale head of family
- monasticismCloistered religious living
- ecumenicalPromoting religious unity
- schismFormal organizational fracture
liturgy · theology · heresy · council · hagiography · saints · relics · Cyril
Pictures made from fragments
- iconographyAnalysis of artistic symbols
- tesseraeMosaic's constituent pieces
- frescoesPaintings on fresh plaster
- apseVaulted church recess
narthex · domes · enamelwork · cloisonné
Male ruler of empire
- autocratSole wielder of power
- empressFemale ruler of empire
- palaceMonarch's official residence
- eunuchsCastrated male attendants
patrician · senate · Caesar · ceremony · regalia · diadem · throne
Handwritten or typed originals
- codexAncient bound manuscript
- parchmentTreated hide for manuscripts
- philologyStudy of historical texts
- chroniclesSequential historical accounts
commentaries · classicism · Aristotelian · Neoplatonism · minuscule · university · encyclopedias · rhetoric
Justinian
- TheodoraFeminine name, Greek origin
- cataphractFully armored horse soldier
- themesMain ideas throughout
iconoclasm
Attacking revered traditions
- patriarchMale head of family
- monasticismCloistered religious living
- ecumenicalPromoting religious unity
schism · liturgy · theology · heresy · council · hagiography · saints · relics · Cyril · theotokos
mosaics
Pictures made from fragments
- iconographyAnalysis of artistic symbols
- tesseraeMosaic's constituent pieces
- frescoesPaintings on fresh plaster
apse · narthex · domes · enamelwork · cloisonné
emperor
Male ruler of empire
eunuchs · patrician · senate · Caesar · ceremony · regalia · diadem · throne
manuscripts
Handwritten or typed originals
- codexAncient bound manuscript
- parchmentTreated hide for manuscripts
- philologyStudy of historical texts
chronicles · commentaries · classicism · Aristotelian · Neoplatonism · minuscule · university · encyclopedias · rhetoric
- Ancient MaghrebCarthage, Leptis Magna, Berber, Phoenician, Romans
- historical peoplesAztecs, Babylonians, Celts, Egyptians, Gauls
- turkeyIstanbul, Ankara, turkey breast, turkey leg, Anatolia
- CrusadesFirst Crusade, crusade, crusader, Third Crusade, Knights Templar
- DynastiesHabsburgs, Ming Dynasty, Bourbons, Tang Dynasty, Tudors
- Medieval PeoplesFranks, Saxons, Visigoths, Ostrogoths, Vandals
ByzantinesWestern Europeans
Inhabitants of western continent
Latins · Franks · Carolingians · Roman Catholics · Holy Roman Empire
Byzantinesstraightforward
Clear and uncomplicated
direct · simple · transparent · plain-dealing · uncomplicated
- Byzantine EmpireMedieval eastern Roman state
- Byzantine politicsConvoluted governmental scheming
- Byzantine GreekEastern Empire's literary language
- Byzantine artMedieval eastern imperial aesthetic
- Byzantine architectureEastern empire construction tradition
- Byzantine aristocracyElite of medieval Constantinople
Byzantine, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine art, Byzantine architecture