Dig Into History

he Byzantine Empire was at its pea
under the emperor Justinian. It
stretched from Ravenna on the Adr
coast of Italy, through the Balkans,
North Africa, Egypt, Palestine, and
Syria. Ravenna was its latest conquest. To capt
it from the Goths, Justinian ordered the famed
General Belisarius, who had already won man
battles on the eastern front against Persia, to
advance against the city.
The Goths were defeated and their king capt
in 540. To honor Justinian and his consort
Theodora, two large mosaic panels were erected
Ravenna’s Church of San Vitale. One showed th
emperor in regal robes, his head surrounded wi
golden halo to convey his semi-divine nature.
Accompanying him were clergy, administrator
and soldiers (see image opposite top). The othe
showed the empress in imperial robes and a ta
crown. With her were her ladies-in-waiting (see
image opposite bottom). Mosaics were a favorit
artistic medium of the Byzantines, an art form
traces it roots to ancient Rome.

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Invincible!

Constantinople, the largest city in Europe

with a population at the time of 400,000,

considered itself invincible. Triangular in

shape, it was surrounded on two sides by

water. On the third side, it was protected

by a triple system of inner wall, outer wall,

and moat. It had ample reserves of drinking

water. This was thanks to numerous cisterns,

the largest of which was built during

Justinian’s reign. It also had abundant

granaries.

The empire’s most celebrated weapon was

Greek Fire, an explosive that destroyed

wooden ships and siege towers. Just the

threat of its use protected the city from

attacks by sea (see illustration below). No

one knows how Greek Fire was made, as the

recipe was a highly guarded secret.

After Justinian’s death, the empire began

to decline. But it was not an abrupt descent.

Rather, it was a matter of contracting,

expanding, and then contracting again.

Just imagine being in the boat on the right and feeling that Greek Fire being shot at you! 21