Byzantine DBQ Essay Example

from invaders. (Document A) This shows had the Arabs captured Constantinople in the seventh century, all Europe – and America – might be Muslim today. Constantinople was the best-fortified city in the world. It held out invaders for nearly a thousand years. (Document B) This shows the strength and effort the Byzantine put into protecting their city.

Justinian I ruled the Byzantines from 527 to 565 CE. He appointed a commission of 10 experts who created a new code of 4,652 laws dealing with everything from property rights to punishment for religious heresy. (Document D) The main idea of Justinian code was to stress equality for all with the right to happiness. Sound familiar? Yes, the Declaration of Independence stresses these same principles. (Document D) This goes to show that the Byzantine set the bar high for practices still instituted today by creating the Justinian Code. Historians credit the Justinian code with shaping our basic ideas about law and justice today. (Document D) This shows without the Byzantine, the current principles of America would be in disarray.

The Byzantine have been largely ignored all across the nation, yet they are credited with so much of how society is today. Religious influence, preservation of literature, and defense tactics are among the key reasons to study the Byzantine Empire.

What exactly is the Primary Reason to Study the Byzantine? The primary reason to study the Byzantine Empire is their political foundations that helped shape modern society today.