ABSTRACT
In Constantine’s day the Latin tradition in the capital had perhaps outweighed the Greek, but in the sixth century an imperial reconquest of the west seemed to some provincials subjugation by an eastern, alien power. Justinian then had to face the turbulence of his capital, the resistance of the eastern provinces to Justin’s orthodox measures, and danger on the eastern frontier from the Persians. The evidence of economic history does not confirm the impression that the empire was financially ruined by Justinian’s wars. The great accomplishments of Justinian’s middle period included the reconquest of Africa, part of Spain, and Italy. The reign of Zeno began with conspiracy and an inglorious withdrawal by Zeno from the throne: he regained his throne in 476. The date was epochal not through events in Constantinople, but for the loss of the empire in Rome.
