ABSTRACT
Although the Byzantine Empire formally was the continuation of the Roman Empire in the eastern provinces, geography and chronology transformed it into a state quite different from the old Roman Empire. These transformations led to the development of a medieval society which resembled, in some ways, other medieval European societies but in other ways differed from them significantly. Geography, that is to say, the location of the Empire in the eastern Mediterranean, with Constantinople as its capital, meant that the population consisted of Greeks, Italians, Armenians, Egyptians, Syrians, and others, while the dominant language and culture was Greek. In terms of chronology, the Empire lasted for over one thousand years, from 330 C.E., when the new capital was inaugurated, until the fall of Constantinople to the Turks in 1453. This very long history entailed the transfiguration of society along with a series of important changes in the boundaries and the composition of the state. Perhaps the most decisive series of changes came in the seventh century, when the eastern provinces (Egypt, Syria, and Palestine) fell to the Arabs, while the northern areas witnessed the attacks and settlement of Slavs, followed by the settlement of the Bulgars in what today is Bulgaria. As far as the structure of the state is concerned, Byzantium remained, for a very long time, highly centralized, with the Emperor functioning as Vice-Regent of God on earth—the source of law and authority. This was a tax-gathering state with a command economy and an efficient administration. The capital city, the palace, and the Patriarchate of Constantinople were important loci of power and wealth. Such was the case until the early thirteenth century, when decentralization began to create different conditions. As for the development of both culture and society, the spread of Christianity and its acceptance as the official religion in the late fourth century created one of the fundamental parameters.
