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seleanor

Active member
This is something that has always confused me. I've seen people use the words Roman and Byzantine interchangeably, but I'm pretty sure that the Roman empire was led by the Italians, and the Byzantine empire by the Greeks/Romans. Does anyone see my confusion here? And is someone able to clarify?
 

k_tsoukalas

Moderator
The Roman Empire used to be HUGE and it became difficult to manage. It split apart for the eastern Roman Empire (which became the Byzantine Empire) and the Western Roman Empire (which became the portion we associate with Rome and all that). I don't remember all the details but this is gist.
 
The Byzantine Empire was a continuance of the Roman Empire. Saint Constantine the Great, the first Christian emperor, transferred the capital city from Rome to Constantinople in 330 AD. Soon the emperors realised that it would be better to establish two poles of power (one in Italy and one that would remain in Constantinople). The western part fell into the hands of the German tribes. The eastern was christianized (as happened, actually, with the western part, as well), but Greek language and culture played a crucial role in transforming its character, due to the fact that Greeks were dominant there. It became the medieval Greek empire. The term "Byzantine" is, in fact, an anachronism, because what we call "Byzantines" continued to call themselves as "Romans". It refers to the ancient Greek colony "Byzantium", which was established by Megara (a town near Athens) and existed before the erection of Constantinople. The term became popular during the Renaissance period and was established by German and French scholars.
 
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Getting Started Studying About the Byzantine Empire

I love studying Greek history, and with such a long history, there is a lot to cover. I realized recently that I had been glossing over the Byzantine Empire, which was a big part of the Greece's history!

I had spent so much time studying about Ancient Greece, and then getting up to speed with modern Greek historical topics.

Topics to Study in Greek History?

I love learning about Greek history. I think I have a handle on the main aspects of Greek history. For 2023, I would like to delve into some random topics, maybe dive in to some of the major events with more detail, that kind of thing. Here is a list of things I am fascinated about:

- Basic way of life of the Minoans - it seems that they were fairly advanced?
- Delve into some of the aristocratic families in Ancient Athens
- How did Sparta form into the warrior culture?
- The origins of the Greek War for Independence

So far, that is all I have. Does anyone have any ideas?

Getting a Good Overview of Greek History

I am trying to learn about the Greek culture because I married a Greek-American. I figure that history is part of that! So, can you guys share with me some great resources that will give me an overview of the history? I found this on Youtube, don't know if it is any good. I know, I am not a kid. But I figured this would be a nice overview. But, this only covers Ancient Greece. We are planning a trip to Greece and my husband loves history, so I want to at least have a foundation before we go to the country.

History of the Orthodox Church in Greece

I am trying to learn more about the history of the Orthodox Church in Greece. I know that there are some Bible passages that mention the Apostle Paul being in Greece, but I am not clear on the actual history.

For example, Ephesians was written about "Ephesus", which was part of Greece at that time. But, when I read the Bible I like to have more of an historical context. I am sure this information exists, I am just not sure where.

History of Phyllo Dough?

I have been trying to reconnect with Greek cooking for a while now, and the thing I am working on now are the phyllo dishes - like pita and baklava. Phyllo is delicious, but it can also be tricky. During the whole process I have been curious - where did phyllo come from? I found some sources, but it's hard to really understand the true origin:


Many seem to claim that it came from different places. I have heard theories about it coming from Ancient Greece, Byzantine Empire, Medieval Turkey (but wait wasn't this Byzantine?).... What do you guys think?
Share and discuss Greek history!

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