Dig Into History

(Martin Jones) #1
8

by Anthony Hollingsworth
illustrated by Chris Sabatino

From Greek to


Latin to Greek


I


n the fourth centuryC.E., the new emperor,
Constantine, moved the capital of the Roman
Empire from Rome to a town called Byzantium.
He then re-named it Constantinople, which literally
translates as “city of Constantine” (see also pages
4–6). As can be imagined, the emperor’s decision
angered many Romans. Rome had always been the
capital of the Roman Empire. It was the reason why
the Roman Empire was called “Roman.”

Why Move?
Constantine had two very good reasons for moving
the capital. First, his new city would be a Christian
capital, not a pagan capital. The old families of
Rome worshiped deities such as Jupiter, Minerva, and
Juno and would not convert to Christianity. Secondly,
the frontiers of the Roman Empire were in the east. It
was in the east that the Romans were fighting and
expanding their empire. Rome was just too far away
to be an effective capital. Constantinople,

Constantine decided, would therefore be the Nova
Roma or “New Rome.”
Constantine’s new city lay to the east of Greece in
modern-day Turkey. At the time, it was the Greek-
speaking part of the Roman world, and almost
everyone was bilingual. At home, families often spoke
Greek, and the writings of early Christianity were in
Greek. But anything sent from Rome was written in
Latin. To be in the army or in public office, you had to
speak Latin. Some imperial decrees, trials, and official
documents, however, were written in both Greek and
Latin, very much the way some forms and manuals
today often come in English, Spanish, and French.

Greek It Is!
Why was the Greek language so common in this part
of the Roman world? The answer is easy: Alexander
the Great. More than 600 years before Constantine
moved his capital to Constantinople, Alexander the
Great, the ruler of Macedonia and Greece, had
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