ABSTRACT
The history of the Byzantine Empire is tied to the fate of its capital, Constantinople. The city was founded in 324 by the Emperor Constantine as his “New Rome” and inaugurated with great public festivities six years later. It fell under the cannon fire of the Ottomans in 1453. Throughout its millennial history, the Byzantine Empire experienced periods of geographical contraction followed by political and cultural revival. These external factors were not without consequence for the way in which the Byzantines regarded their role in history and their connection with ancient Greece.
