The Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empirewas from 667 BC - 1453 BC. It’s capitol was Constantinople after Constantine The Great, During much of its history it is known as the empire of the Greeks due to the dominance of Greek language and culture. The word byzantine comes from “Byzantium” which is the Greek name for the city on the Bosporus. The Greeks settled in the area first, in the mid 600’s BC. Greek culture continued its influence long after the region became part of the Roman Empire, in the 100’s BC. It was when Roman Emperor Constantine The Great moved the capitol of the empire from Rome to Byzantium and renamed it Constantinople. In 330 AD the Byzantine Empire really began. It lasted over 1000 years, ending finally in 1453 when the Ottoman Turks conquered Constantinople and renamed it Istanbul.
