In 324, Constantine, the first Christian emperor, became the single ruler of the Roman Empire. He set up his Eastern headquarters at the ancient Greek colony of Byzantium in 330. This city, later renamed Constantinople, was also known as "new Rome." It became the capital of the Byzantines after the Roman Empire was divided.

Constantinople was located on the European shore of the Bosporus, between the Aegean and Black seas, in what is now the countryside of Turkey. The city brought together people from Europe and Asia. During the ten and a half centuries that the Byzantine Empire lasted, its boundaries continually changed. The territory that made up the empire in 565 included Italy, Sicily, North Africa, southern Spain and Syria. At its largest during 1000, the Byzantine Empire included Greece, Italy, Egypt, Syria, North Africa, and southern Spain.

The greatest of the public buildings was the Hippodrome, an arena that could seat over 40,000 people. Byzantines gathered there to sit and watch chariot races, jugglers, circus acts, and fights between wild animals. In a city of churches, the most magnificent was St. Sophia Cathedral. Also known as Hagia Sophia, or the church of Holy Wisdom. It was completed by Justinian in 537. It is an enormous building, shaped like across, with a dome reaching 180 feet from the ground. It has a beautiful interior of colored marble, gold, silver, and mosaics.

The period from about 641 and 1025 is considered to be the golden age of the Byzantine Empire. Advances in military strength, religious influence, and the arts made the Byzantines one of the most powerful forces in the world of the Middle Ages.

During the 800's, the empire began to expand again. Byzantine armies drove the Arabs back on several fronts. From 867 to 1025, under Emperor Basil I and his descendants, the empire achieved another major period of success. Basil began work on a new code of laws. Leo VI, who came to power in 886, completed the code and encourages artists and scholars. Constantine the VII, who ruled from 913-959, continued to encourage the arts. Basil II, who became emperor in 976, regained territory in eastern Asia Minor and reconquered Bulgaria. Trade grew in addition to this expansion and the empire thrived.

In 1054 a permanent split between the Eastern Orthodox Church and Roman Catholic Church took place. Both the pope and patriarch excommunicated each other. After this the two different churches treated each other as rivals.

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Approximate Word count = 2094
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)