88
votes
When did the Roman Empire fall according to contemporaries?
Most people at the time did not think the Roman Empire had fallen -- it's only from five hundred or a thousand years later that we can conclude that it did. Both points of view are reasonable.
What ...
- 8,172
51
votes
Accepted
Did the Byzantines ever attempt to move their capital to Rome?
No, they did not try to move their capital to Rome, but the Emperor Heraclius at one point--around 620 or so when the war against Persia was going very badly--did consider moving the capital even ...
- 4,227
47
votes
Did the Byzantines ever attempt to move their capital to Rome?
The Early Middle Ages were not kind to Rome, and the long destructive war to recapture it didn't help things. By the time the dust settled, Rome had practically ceased to exist as a major city, with ...
- 122k
46
votes
Accepted
Why did Byzantine champions (consistently) lose duels to Muslim armies' champions?
According to this MA thesis, the Byzantine armies had a number of overall advantages, but it does not follow that their commanders were especially skilled at one-to-one combat. Forcing individual ...
- 23k
44
votes
Why were the names of Western Roman emperors mostly unique?
In many cases they were not very different, actually. Historical practice over centuries have given them tags by which they are known, but those were not their full names or, indeed, their names at ...
- 8,172
42
votes
Why is the late Russian Empire associated with Byzantium while having little in common with it?
I'd say that historically, the ideology in Russia meant it preferred to compare itself to Byzantium, probably similarly to the way you can hear the US is compared to Rome.
This was, and still ...
- 1,178
32
votes
Accepted
Was Hagia Sophia built over a pagan temple?
Going beyond E.B. or Wikipedia:
The official website of the Hagia Sophia Museum (at its former domain, link now dead) stated
The first church [at the H.S. site] was constructed by Emperor Konstantios ...
- 2,476
28
votes
Accepted
What size are these mosaics of Justinian and Theodora?
According to The Met Museum website, the mosaic Emperor Justinian and Members of His Court measures 104 in. by 144 in. or 264.2cm by 365.8cm, which is 8ft 8in by 12ft. The same dimensions are given ...
- 108k
27
votes
Accepted
Did Constantine XI will his titles to Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain?
I did not watch the YouTube video, but based on your description, it seems to be presenting a garbled account of history.
Constantine XI did not will his titles way, but his brother Thomas ...
- 97.6k
26
votes
Accepted
Did the Seljuk consider themselves Roman?
I think the other answer misses some crucial distinctions.
Culture
The culture of the Seljuks was non-Greco-Roman; the same applies to their language. A good summary of who they were comes from ...
- 10.8k
22
votes
Accepted
How aware were the latter Greek-speaking Romans (ERE: Byzantines) of the early history of Rome?
They were very familiar with the early history of Rome. For one, Cassius Dio wasn't lost for a long time. Joannes Zonaras used Cassius Dio frequently and John Xiphilinus made an 11th-century epitome ...
- 2,673
19
votes
Why did the term "Byzantine Empire" enter common usage instead of "Eastern Roman Empire" or "Roman Empire"
Warren Treadgold, one of the most eminent scholars on the Byzantine Empire puts it simply as follows:
Modern historians have called this empire "Byzantine" because it was ruled not from Rome but ...
- 3,935
19
votes
Accepted
Are there any writings by blinded and/or exiled Byzantine emperors?
John VI Kantakouzenos
John VI Kantakouzenos, who reigned from 31 March 1347 to 10 December 1354, is the emperor who comes closest to meeting your criteria. He was deposed by his co-emperor John V ...
- 108k
19
votes
Accepted
Did the later Byzantine Emperors use regnal numbers?
According to the Wikipedia article on Constantine XI Palaiologos, no.
Despite the increase in emperors with the same name during the Middle Ages, such as the several Michaels and Constantines, the ...
- 23k
18
votes
Why were the names of Western Roman emperors mostly unique?
A traditional Roman name has three parts: the "praenomen" (roughly corresponding to the Western "first name"), the "nomen" (roughly equivalent to the "last name"...
- 8,739
15
votes
What disruptions were brought about by Islam that the Arabians saw so many victories?
The critical factor all these answers leave out: The Black Death.
The Plague of Justinian swept through the Byzantine and Sassanid Empires a few generations before Islam. On the Byzantine side, the ...
- 511
15
votes
When did Byzantines become more Greek than Roman?
My understanding of the Eastern Empire is that the Greeks never really lost their identity.
Even when Rome was ruling the area directly, Greek remained the lingua franca in the East - and indeed the ...
14
votes
Accepted
What did Nikolas Mystikos call his countrymen in official correspondence?
Just a hint, according to Greek wikipedia entry (which cites this book), the Patriarch wrote Ῥωμαῖοι - Rhōmaîoi in the letter.:
Οι δύο δυνάμεις ολόκληρου του σύμπαντος, η δύναμη των Σαρακηνών και
...
- 270
14
votes
Accepted
Where was the Battle of Antioch (613 CE) fought?
Questions about the historical accuracy of holy texts can get dicey, so I'll try to treat this like any other question.
First, I'm not an Islamic scholar, so I'm not going to try and work out whether ...
- 56k
12
votes
Accepted
How were heavily armored Cataphracts killed?
Lighter, Faster Cavalry.
The heavier the cavalry, the harder it is to maintain speed and perform sharp maneuvers. At the battle of Turin, Constantine used light cavalry with iron-tipped clubs to ...
- 187
12
votes
What is the large blue object on the right in this picture showing Greek fire?
It's probably a representation of the awning or tent that would have covered the Captain's berth at the stern of the vessel. The Wikipedia article on the Galley shows some other representations.
This ...
- 77.2k
12
votes
Accepted
What is the large blue object on the right in this picture showing Greek fire?
I'm not sure why @Spencer didn't post this as an answer, but I believe he is correct in his comment from Apr in 2018 (as is the more recent (June 2018) limited response from @Rob Crawford):
There ...
- 41.5k
12
votes
Accepted
Why is the late Russian Empire associated with Byzantium while having little in common with it?
The reason is because of some superficial similarities, mainly of the "headline" variety.
After the fall of Rome, the Eastern Roman, or Byzantine Empire claimed the mantle of the new Rome. In the ...
- 104k
11
votes
Accepted
What does CONOB mean on ancient Roman coins?
Constantinopoli obryzum
According to a poorly cited Wikipedia article CON indicates the mint of Constantinople and OB is an abbreviation of obryzum, and quite literally translates to "1/72 of a ...
- 3,142
10
votes
Accepted
Did the Eastern Romans also use Roman concrete?
The use of concrete did fade after the fall of the western Roman Empire, though
at least some aspects of the use of concrete was held over into the Byzantine Architectural style, on some early ...
- 41.5k
10
votes
Why is the late Russian Empire associated with Byzantium while having little in common with it?
I checked the book: The word "Byzantine" is mentioned only on 9 pages (out of nearly a thousand). Mostly, it is mentioned in relation to personalities of Nicholas-II and his wife. (In one case, it is ...
- 6,225
10
votes
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Who coined the phrase "City of the World's Desire"?
This is from the tenth-century poem On Constantinople and the Church of the Holy Apostles by Constantine of Rhodes:
ἡ κοσμοπαμπόθητος αὕτη πως πόλις
this city, the envy of the whole world
Constantine ...
- 826
10
votes
Accepted
What was the total army strength of the Byzantine empire under Justinian?
Following the citations in Maas, the original number is from Agathias' Histories 5.13.7, where he gives the provides an estimate of 150,000.
However, as Maas notes:
There is...broad agreement that ...
- 2,673
9
votes
What calendars were used in Eastern Rome?
Many different local calendars were used in the eastern and western parts of the Roman empire. The Julian calendar introduced about 44 BC was the official calendar of the Roman republic and empire ...
- 19.4k
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