in 534), an imperial law code, and the Digest (533), an orderly compilation of
Roman juridical thought. From then on the laws of the eastern Roman Empire were
largely (though not wholly) fixed, though Justinian’s books were soon eclipsed by
short summaries in Greek, while in the West they had little impact until the twelfth
century.
Under Justinian, this redefined Roman Empire sought to recapture its past glory.
It quickly took North Africa from the Vandals in 534. It added a strip of southeastern
Spain in 552. Meanwhile Justinian’s armies pressed on to wrench—but with great
difficulty—Italy from the Ostrogoths. The first two enterprises were fairly successful;
eastern Roman rule lasted in North Africa for another century. The last venture,
however, was a disaster. The long war in Italy, which began in 535 and ended only in
553, devastated the country. Soon the Lombards, Germanic warriors employed by
Justinian to help take Italy, returned to Italy on their own behalf. By 572 they were
masters of part of northern Italy and, further south, of Spoleto and Benevento. (See
Map 1.5.)
For the eastern Roman Empire, the western undertaking was a sideshow. The
Empire’s real focus was on the Sasanid Empire of the Persians. The two “super-
powers” confronted one another with wary forays throughout the sixth century. They
thought that to the winner would come the spoils. Little did they imagine that the real
winner would be a new and unheard of group: the Muslims.
*****
The crisis of the third century demoted the old Roman elites, bringing new groups
to the fore. Among these were the Christians, who insisted on one God and one way
to understand and worship him. Made the official religion of the Empire under
Theodosius, Christianity redefined the location of the holy: no longer was it in private
households or city temples but in the precious relics of the saints and the Eucharist; in
those who ministered on behalf of the church on earth (the bishops); and in those
who led lives of ascetic heroism (the monks).
Politically the Empire, once a vast conglomeration of conquered provinces, was
in turn largely conquered by its periphery. In spite of themselves, the Romans had
tacitly to acknowledge and exploit the interdependence between the center and the
hinterlands. They invited the barbarians in, but then declined to recognize the needs
of their guests. The repudiation came too late. The barbarians were part of the
Empire, and in the western half they took it over. In the next century they would
show how much they had learned from their former hosts.
