Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 03.djvu/860

* BYZANTINE EMPIRE. 758 BYZANTINE EMPIRE. two facts which are most striking, its antiquity and modernity, and just here is one of the rea- sons why Byzantine history is not attractive to us: its antiquity seems only an aping of the past; its modernity fails to interest us because we have reached a higher development than the Byzantine Empire ever did. 'New Rome, like old Rome, had a wonderful capacity for absorbing and assimilating less civil- ized peoples. The Empire included representa- tives of all the races of eastern Europe. It opened to all full participation in its life. Its emperors might be of any nationality. Any bar- barian of ability, if baptized, was welcome to its armv, administration, and Court. This was one of tile causes of its strength. A second was the position of Constantinople. The city could not be reduced by starvation. Its walls, luitil 1-04, proved strong enough to defy all invaders. Then, too, while the Western Empire was being overrun by the barbarians, the Asiatic provinces of New Rome enjoved an almost continuous peace. From their wealth the Empire secured the resources necessary to hold its European possessions, and to carry on the wars of Justinian. Finally, it was fortunate in having a large number of able emperors, ilost of them were not brilliant per- sonalities who command admiration, but rather cautious administrators, indefatigable workers, who labored slowlv and steadily to strengthen the Empire, to fill'the treasury, and to improve the administrative service. The Emiiire. although conservative, was not wholly unprogressive. This is exemplified in its military organization, its law, its art, and its manufactures. Thus, after the battle of Adrianople (q.v.), the Byzantines realized the ■ fact that the old infantry army was no longer efficient, and formed a new army mainly of cavalry. The infantry they supplied with bows and lances in place of swords and javelins. They developed armor for protection. They used a smaller and more effective tactical unit than the old legion, and they recruited an army of sub- jects, not mercenaries. They developed the art of fortification and the use of Greek fire. They built a great navy. Oman says: "The art of war as it was understood at Constantinople in the Tenth Century was the only system of real merit existing in the world: no Western nation could have afforded such a training to its officers till the Sixteenth, or we may even say the Seven- teenth Century." The Corpus of Justinian con- tinued for centuries to be the law of the Byzan- tine Empire. But it was constantly modified and expanded to suit new conditions. In the Ninth Century a new code was drawn up (see Basil- ica) ill which the influences of Christianity and advancing civilization are marked. In the Eighth Century a maritime code, a military code, and a rural code were developed to meet the ehanscd conditions. The first, es]>eeially, is of great importance in the history of legal ideas. Byzantine art (q.v.) is treated at length else- where. Here it deserves mention as an indica- tion of the gi-eat influence which the Byzantine Empire exercised on Russia, on the Moliainmcdan caliphates in the East and West, on the south of Italy, on Venice, and on some parts of France and Germany. To-day examples of Byzan- tine architecture are to be found in every Chris- tian and Mohammedan country. In the manu- facture of mosaics, silks, and embroidered satins, the Byzantine Empire was preeminent for cen- turies. The samite and sendal of the niediieval romances came from Constantinople. The direct services of the Byzantine Empire to Europe were many and varied. Four, in par- ticular, desene emphasis. (1) It was the bul- wark of Europe from which host after host of in- vaders were oeaten back. For seven centuries, almost unaided, it bore the brunt of every at- tack, and thus enabled the Western nations to develop and gain strength. (2) It preserved the Greek and Roman culture and transmitted it to western Europe as the people of the young- er nations became sufficiently advanced to share iu the priceless heritage, home of this culture was constantly filtering through, but during the period of the Crusades and later the transmission was most marked. (3) it maintained the world's commerce, which for centuries was centred at Constantinople. The pupils whom Constanti- nople had formed, Venice and Amalfi, wrested the sceptre of the seas from her only in the Eleventh Century. (4) it was the civilizer of all eastern Europe, where the influence of the Greek Church, Greek art and architecture, and Greek administration is everywhere evident at the present day. BiiiLiOGitAPUY. The original authorities for the history of the Byzantine Empire are the authors whose works are included in the col- lection of the Byzantine Historians. The first edition was published iu Paris, in thirty-six vol- umes, between 164S and 1711. This collection was reprinted with additions in Venice, 1727-3;!. in the Nineteenth Century, Niebuhr, assisted by Bekker, the Dindorfs, and others, edited the so- called 'Boim Edition' under the name of the Corpus Hcriptorum HisloricE ByzantinW. But this last ecUliou is extremely unscliolarly. There are separate editions of the most jiromuient chroniclers, which will be found under their re- spective names. Of the secondary works, the fol- lowing may be mentioned: Finlay, Utstory of (Jreece jrom B.C. 1-^6 to A.JJ. 1604, edited by Xozer (7 vols., Oxford, 1877) ; Gibbon, Uecliite and Fall of the lioman Empire, edited by Bury (7 vols., London, 1890-1901) ; Kaiimbacher, Ge- schichte der byzaniinischeii Littcratur (Mmiich, 1897 ) ; Bury, The Later lioiiiaii Empire (^ev York, ISS^J) ; Heyd, Bistoire du commerce du Levant au Moyen Age (Leipzig and Dessau, 1885) ; Krause, Die Byzantitier des Mittelalters in ihrem Utaals-, iJof- mid Frivatlehen (Halle, I8G9) ; Raml>aiid. L'empire grec au Xme siecle (Paris, 1870) ; Pears, Fall of Constantinople (New York, 1885) ; Oman, Byzantine Empire (Loudon, 1892) ; Har- rison, Byzantine Histoiy in the Early Middle .iges (London, 1900). The last gives an excel- lent select bibliography of the monographs on special phases of Byzantine history. Very use- ful bibliographical clues can also be found in the appendices and notes to Bury's edition of Gibbon. List of Empeeobs of the Btzaktixe Empire Arcadius. 395-408. Justinian I.. 527-565. Tll.-iHlosius II.. -108^50. .Tustin II.. .105-578. Marcian, i.iO-l.'i?. Tiberius ConBtaDtiuUB, 57&- I,co I.. tJie'lhraclan. 457-474. 582. Zeno thBlsaurian, 474-491. Maurice. 582-602. AnnHtasius I., 491-518. Pliocas, 002-ClO. Justin I.. 618-527.