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Rome and Eastern Rome (Byzantium)
MÖ 753 – 1453
Twelve centuries from Rome's seven hills to the walls of Constantinople.
42articles
409sources
11languages
42 articles · sort:
Where Is Justinian’s Bridge? Sakarya’s Ancient CrossingJustinian's Bridge stands in Sakarya's Serdivan district, where it once carried a strategic route across the Sakarya River. The river's main channel now lies about 3…8 min read · 7 sources
Where Is the Severan Bridge? The Story of Its Missing ColumnThe Severan Bridge crosses the Cendere Stream between Kâhta and Sincik in Adıyaman, Turkey. Its three surviving columns preserve an imperial family story marked by Caracalla’s…8 min read · 8 sources
Who Built Adana’s Taşköprü? History over the SeyhanAdana’s Taşköprü crosses the Seyhan River, but its construction is attributed to different Roman periods and builders. Its surviving structure also reflects repairs under Justinian, Ottoman…8 min read · 6 sources
Who Built Ankara Castle? Walls and Citadel HistoryAnkara Castle’s surviving main structure is Byzantine, with earlier Galatian use and Roman repairs forming part of its history. Seljuk additions, Ottoman repairs, and a museum…8 min read · 12 sources
Little Hagia Sophia: A Rehearsal Church Before the Great One?Little Hagia Sophia began as the Church of Saints Sergius and Bacchus, commissioned by Justinian I and Theodora. Its architecture connects Byzantine and Ottoman history, but…7 min read · 9 sources
Sumela Monastery: history, legend and visitor informationSumela Monastery stands on the cliffs of Karadağ in Trabzon’s Altındere Valley, with a founding legend that reaches further back than its surviving buildings. Explore its…8 min read · 9 sources
Byzantine Iconoclasm: Why Icons Were Banned and ErasedByzantine iconoclasm targeted sacred images because opponents feared idolatry and challenged the depiction of Christ’s human and divine natures. The struggle unfolded in two periods, leaving…8 min read · 8 sources
Hagia Irene: Istanbul’s Oldest Church by Hagia SophiaHagia Irene stands in Topkapı Palace’s first courtyard, near Hagia Sophia, and preserves several phases of Byzantine rebuilding. Its cross mosaic, Ottoman arsenal history, and role…7 min read · 8 sources
Hippodrome of Constantinople: Sultanahmet’s ObelisksSultanahmet Square occupies the site of Constantinople’s Hippodrome, where chariot races brought emperors and crowds together. Its surviving monuments connect Egyptian kingship, Greek victory offerings, imperial…8 min read · 9 sources
Laodicea: One of the Seven Churches of Revelation, in DenizliLaodicea, about six kilometres north of Denizli, combines the remains of a wealthy ancient city with the history of one of Revelation’s seven Christian communities. Its…8 min read · 13 sources
The Great Palace of Constantinople: Beneath SultanahmetThe Great Palace of Constantinople spread from the Hagia Sophia and Hippodrome area toward the Marmara shore, across land now partly covered by Sultanahmet’s later buildings.…8 min read · 8 sources
Ihlara Valley: Cappadocia’s rock-cut churches and hiking guideIhlara Valley combines a roughly 14-kilometre canyon with churches carved into volcanic rock in Aksaray’s Güzelyurt district. Follow the Melendiz River to explore walking routes, biblical…7 min read · 11 sources
The Walls of Constantinople: Unbreached for a Thousand YearsThe Theodosian Walls of Istanbul were first completed in 413 and defended Constantinople's land side with a moat and two wall lines. The 'unbreached' label fits…7 min read · 11 sources
Diyarbakır Fortress and Hevsel Gardens: a UNESCO siteDiyarbakır Fortress and Hevsel Gardens entered the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2015 as a cultural landscape linking city defenses with food and water supplies. Its…7 min read · 8 sources
Valens Aqueduct Istanbul: The Roman Water Bridge ExplainedThe Valens Aqueduct, known in Turkish as Bozdoğan Kemeri, is a 4th-century water bridge in Istanbul's Fatih district. About 921 metres of it still stand, and…7 min read · 5 sources
Cistern of Philoxenos: Binbirdirek’s 224 Columns ExplainedThe Cistern of Philoxenos, called Binbirdirek in Turkish, is a large underground water tank in Sultanahmet, Istanbul, built around 224 marble columns. Tradition dates it to…7 min read · 8 sources
Myra and St. Nicholas Church: The Real Santa Claus in TurkeyMyra, in Antalya's Demre district, was a Lycian city and the seat of Bishop Nicholas, one of the sources of the modern Santa Claus. This guide…7 min read · 9 sources
Aizanoi Ancient City: Zeus Temple and the Market HallAizanoi is an ancient Phrygian city in Çavdarhisar, Kütahya, Turkey, known for its Roman Temple of Zeus and a market hall often billed as the world's…7 min read · 11 sources
Sagalassos Fountain: The Ancient City Above the CloudsSagalassos is a Roman-era city of Pisidia on the slopes of Akdağ, 1500–1700 metres above sea level near Ağlasun in Burdur. Its Antonine Fountain, built between…7 min read · 12 sources
Göreme Open Air Museum: Rock Churches and Frescoes GuideThe Göreme Open Air Museum in Nevşehir preserves churches, chapels and dining halls carved into rock, with wall paintings from the life of Christ and the…7 min read · 9 sources
Chora Church: The World’s Finest Byzantine MosaicsChora Church (Kariye) in Istanbul's Edirnekapı quarter is a former Byzantine monastery church whose mosaics and frescoes were paid for by Theodoros Metokhites around 1316–1321. It…7 min read · 9 sources
Aphrodisias: The Marble City and Its Ancient StadiumAphrodisias is an ancient city in Geyre, in Aydın's Karacasu district. It is known for the cult of Aphrodite, nearby marble quarries, a stadium that held…6 min read · 11 sources
The Fourth Crusade 1204: How Latins Sacked ConstantinopleThe Fourth Crusade (1202–1204) set out to retake Jerusalem through Egypt. Debt to Venice and a Byzantine throne dispute turned it toward Constantinople, which fell on…7 min read · 11 sources
Greek Fire: What Was Byzantium’s Secret Weapon?Greek fire was a liquid incendiary weapon the Byzantine Empire used from the 7th century, mainly to burn enemy ships. Its exact formula is lost, and…7 min read · 7 sources
Basilica Cistern: Medusa Heads and Istanbul’s Underground PalaceThe Basilica Cistern is a 6th-century underground water reservoir built under Emperor Justinian I, just southwest of Hagia Sophia. This article covers its 336 columns, the…7 min read · 10 sources
Aspendos Theatre: The 2,000-Year-Old Acoustic MarvelAspendos Theatre, in Serik district of Antalya, was built between AD 160 and 180 according to the excavation team, so it is about 1,850 years old…7 min read · 10 sources
Empress Theodora: From Circus Performer to Byzantium’s PowerTheodora grew up around the Hippodrome and stage world of Constantinople, married Justinian around 525, and became empress in 527. She shaped laws on women and…7 min read · 10 sources
Hierapolis and Pamukkale: Ancient Spa City and Cleopatra’s PoolHierapolis is an ancient spa city beside the white travertines of Pamukkale, about 18 kilometres north of Denizli. It grew around hot springs, became a major…7 min read · 12 sources
The Council of Nicaea, 325: How the Creed Was Decided in İznikThe First Council of Nicaea was the first ecumenical Christian council, called by Emperor Constantine in 325 in ancient Nikaia, today's İznik in Bursa. It adopted…7 min read · 7 sources
Spartacus: The True Story of the Gladiator Revolt That Shook RomeSpartacus, a Thracian gladiator, escaped a training school in Capua in 73 BC and led a revolt that beat several Roman forces. Marcus Licinius Crassus crushed…6 min read · 6 sources
Why Did the Roman Empire Fall? What Really Happened in 476The Western Roman Empire's traditional end date is 4 September 476, when Odoacer deposed Romulus Augustulus in Ravenna. The collapse was a long process of invasions,…8 min read · 10 sources
Nero: Did He Really Burn Rome, and Why Did He Kill His Mother?Nero is blamed for the fire of AD 64 and for the murder of his mother Agrippina in AD 59. The sources show the second charge…8 min read · 10 sources
Justinian and the Nika Riots: The Emperor Who Built Hagia SophiaJustinian I ruled the Eastern Roman Empire from 527 to 565. The Nika Riots of January 532 nearly cost him the throne and burned the old…8 min read · 7 sources
Ephesus: From the Library of Celsus to the Temple of ArtemisEphesus, in the Selçuk district of İzmir, grew from a Neolitic settlement into a Hellenistic and Roman city. This article covers its map position, the Library…7 min read · 14 sources
Derinkuyu Underground City: Cappadocia’s Eight-Level Hidden WorldDerinkuyu is an eight-level underground city carved into volcanic tuff in Nevşehir, Türkiye. This guide covers its age, builders, discovery, layout, tickets and visiting details, with…8 min read · 9 sources
Who Were the Byzantines? 1,100 Years of Eastern RomeThe Byzantines were the Romans of the East. They ruled from Constantinople, called themselves Rhomaioi, and kept a Roman state alive from 330 to 1453. The…7 min read · 12 sources
Constantine XI: How the Last Byzantine Emperor Died, May 29, 1453Constantine XI Palaiologos, the last Byzantine emperor, died during the final Ottoman assault on Constantinople on 29 May 1453. No eyewitness recorded how he fell, his…7 min read · 8 sources
Hypatia: The Murdered Woman Scientist of Alexandria, 415 ADHypatia taught mathematics, astronomy and Neoplatonist philosophy in Roman Alexandria and counted Christians among her students. In March 415, amid a power struggle between the governor…6 min read · 9 sources
Constantine the Great: The Emperor Who Made Istanbul a CapitalConstantine I ruled Rome from 306 to 337, became sole emperor in 324 and opened the rebuilt city of Byzantion as Constantinople on 11 May 330.…7 min read · 15 sources
Colosseum and the Gladiators: What Really Happened in the ArenaThe Colosseum in Rome opened in AD 80 and staged gladiator fights, animal hunts and executions, supported by a hidden underground machine of lifts and passages.…6 min read · 10 sources
The History of Hagia Sophia: Church, Mosque, Museum, MosqueHagia Sophia in Istanbul's Fatih district is the third church built on the same site, completed in 537 and turned into a mosque in 1453. It…8 min read · 18 sources
Julius Caesar: Where Did He Say ‘Veni, Vidi, Vici’? Zile“Veni, vidi, vici” is linked to Caesar's victory over Pharnaces near Zela in 47 BC, today Zile in Tokat, Turkey. Plutarch describes a letter to Rome,…7 min read · 13 sources