40cisterns for food and water storage. In addition,
he rebuilt Constantinople’s defensive walls and
the Hagia Sophia Church, after a violent revolt in
532 C.E.damaged much of the city.
Most famously, Justinian compiled and organized
all ancient Roman laws into theCorpus Juris
Civilis(see also pages 30–33.) Throughout this
Golden Age, most of Justinian’s successors continued
strengthening the empire. At the same time, they
encouraged the arts, architecture, education, and
higher living standards. Byzantine literature
flourished. The historian Procopius wroteWars of
Justinian,Buildings of Justinian, andSecret History.
Paul the Silentiary penned love poems that
described everyday life and recorded Hagia Sophia’s
new architecture and decor. Romanus the Melodist
composed more than 1,000 religious hymns.
Byzantine society valued scholarship and made
primary education available for boys in majorcities. Constantinople’s Imperial University, whic
had been founded in 425C.E., was expanded. It
offered classes in law, philosophy, medicine,
arithmetic, astronomy, geometry, music, and
rhetoric. Rulers also supported the city’s Imperia
Library, which preserved more than 100,000
volumes of classical Greek and Roman texts.
Perhaps most significant, this first Golden Age
spread Christianity throughout the ByzantinechaleA view today of the
Hagia Sophia in
Istanbul — the inset
shows a portion of its
magnificent interior.
Continued on page 42»