When did the Roman Empire become Byzantine?

When did the Roman Empire become the Byzantine Empire?

  • 293: The Tetrarchy

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  • 313: The Edict of Milan

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  • 325: The Council of Nicaea

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  • 363: Julian (last Pagan emperor) dies.

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 1056: Battle of Manzikert and destruction of the legions

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  • 1095: Alexius I calls for a crusade

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  • Total voters
    99

Nikephoros

Banned
Are you sure about that? Didn't the Byzantine emperors themselves at one point (Heraclius?) stop claiming Pericles, Alexander and Augustus as their ancestors and acknowledged only later figures like Constantine and Justinian?

The rulers definately considered themselves to be successors to Augustus.

They never considered themselves to be descendents of Pericles and Alexander (Although some rulers thought they were Alexander reincarnated)
 

Skokie

Banned
The rulers definately considered themselves to be successors to Augustus.

They never considered themselves to be descendents of Pericles and Alexander (Although some rulers thought they were Alexander reincarnated)

I remember reading somewhere that there was a change in which Pericles and other historical figures from antiquity were dropped. Any idea what that was all about? Did they have a big list of historical figures that each emperor would claim some kind of lineage?
 
Skokie wrote:
don't know about that. There were points of real upheaval in which culture and society were revolutionized over the course of only a few years. I'm thinking of the Third Century Crisis and the Plagues of Justinian.
American culture was changed in WWI, the Depression, and 9/11. In WWI and 9/11, we became much readier to throw away freedoms and the human rights our leaders claimed to fight for for appearances of toughness. Do you feel we became different state in any of those episodes? For all the changes, cultures usually feel more tightly bound by crises.

I remember reading somewhere that there was a change in which Pericles and other historical figures from antiquity were dropped. Any idea what that was all about? Did they have a big list of historical figures that each emperor would claim some kind of lineage?
ISTR that as well. ISTR it was about religion. As Roman Christianity became more intolerant, polytheist books and famous polytheists were seen as tainted. As a gradual process, as usual.
 
Even the term "έλλην" , the proper word for greek was considered as an insult by the "byzantines" till the very end of the empire , as to them it equated with the term "pagan" . Not until the 18th century did the people that would become the modern greeks come to think of themselves as Pericle's descendants , primarily, imho due to the influence of the romantic classicist scholars of Munich . On the funny side, the crusaders of 1204 thought of themselves as avengers of Troy!!!, since they were themselves(french , flemish venetians and germans) "romans" , descendants of Aeneas , the legendary founder of Rome and they were sacking Constantinople, the capital of the schismatic greeks...
 
I was under the impression that the term Byzantine originated after the fall of the empire and before it had been just been called the Roman Empire.
 
While the distinction's fairly arbitary, I'd definitely say 620. It's then that it stops being "Roman" to me. Maybe Justinian's reign instead, but 620 seems a better dividing point. I also think it's the point McEvedy uses (best historical atlases ever!).
 
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