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Byzantine Empire By: Ray E-mail: Cozmo823@aol.com The greatest of medieval civilizations was the Eastern Roman Empire. The Roman Empire was divided in 395. The Western half, ruled from Rome, was ruled by the barbarians in the 5th century. The Eastern half, known as the Byzantine Empire, lasted for more than over 1,000 years. The Byzantine Empire was one of the leading civilizations in the world. In 324, Constantine, the first Christian emperor, became the single ruler …

…of Rome and Greece through the darkest centuries of the Middle Ages. Statesmen developed pioneering legal codes, which were used as a basis for imperial monarchies for more than 1,000 years. Artists created a distinctive style of mosaic work, painting, and domed architecture, which influenced the cultures of Greece, Italy, Spain, and Russia. The Byzantine state religion, the Eastern Orthodox Christianity, became dominant in the Balkan and Russian kingdoms as well as in Greece. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ **Bibliography**