Roman vs Byzantine Empire: Where Rome Ended and Byzantium Began
The Byzantine Empire was not a new empire. It was the eastern half of the Roman Empire, which carried on for almost a thousand years after the west fell in 476. Its people called themselves Romans. The name Byzantine was given by historians much later.
Roman Empire vs Byzantine Empire at a glance
| Roman Empire | Byzantine Empire | |
|---|---|---|
| Dates | 27 BC to 476 AD in the west | 330 to 1453 |
| Capital | Rome | Constantinople |
| Largest area | About 5 million km², around 117 AD | About 2.8 million km², around 555 under Justinian |
| Language | Latin | Greek, which replaced Latin in government by the 600s |
| Religion | Roman gods, then Christianity | Christianity, later Eastern Orthodox |
| Famous building | The Colosseum | Hagia Sophia, finished in 537 |
| Ended | 476, when the last western emperor was removed | 1453, when the Ottomans took Constantinople |
When did one become the other?
There is no single date. Constantine founded Constantinople in 330. The empire was split permanently between two emperors in 395. When the last western emperor, Romulus Augustulus, was removed in 476, the eastern emperor in Constantinople carried on as the Roman emperor. Historians usually call the empire Byzantine from around this time, after Byzantium, the old Greek name of the city.
What changed
Over the centuries the eastern empire became more Greek than Latin, more Christian and centred on Constantinople rather than Rome. Emperor Justinian won back Italy and North Africa for a while in the 500s and gathered Roman law into one great code. Byzantium protected Greek and Roman learning that later fed the European Renaissance.
Quick facts
- The name Byzantine Empire was popularised by a German historian in 1557, over a century after it ended.
- Constantinople’s walls held off attackers for about 800 years.
- The Byzantines used a secret weapon called Greek fire that kept burning on water.
- The church split between Rome and Constantinople in 1054.
- Hagia Sophia was the largest church in the world for nearly a thousand years.
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Roman Empire vs Byzantine Empire questions
Is the Byzantine Empire the same as the Roman Empire?
It was the eastern half of the Roman Empire, which survived after the west fell. Its people called themselves Romans.
When did the Roman Empire become the Byzantine Empire?
Gradually. Key dates are 330, when Constantinople was founded, 395, when the empire split, and 476, when the west fell.
Why is it called Byzantine?
After Byzantium, the old Greek name of Constantinople. Historians used the name long after the empire ended.
What language did the Byzantines speak?
Greek, although Latin was used in government early on.
When did the Byzantine Empire end?
In 1453, when Ottoman sultan Mehmed II captured Constantinople.
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