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Emperor Theodosius II welcomes the relics of St. John Chrysostom. Holy Apostles Church (Early 11th century) (Public Domain)

The Byzantine Emperors 395 – 491 AD

The Byzantine Emperors witnessed the disintegration of the western Roman Empire which did not survive past the fifth century. Contrary to the latter, the Byzantine Empire would subsist the successive...
Battle of the Milvian Bridge between the Roman Emperors Constantine I and Maxentius on 28 October 312 AD by Giulio Romano ( 1520-24). Vatican City (Public Domain)

The Constantinian Dynasty - Five Successors, One Victorious Emperor

The Tetrarchy, inaugurated in 285 AD by Emperor Diocletian, had been instituted mainly with the intent of mitigating successions tribulations such as those that had plagued the third century. But the...
A Byzantine ship using Greek fire against an enemy ship. Source: Public Domain

Greek Fire Is Every Sailor's Deadly Nightmare (Video)

Investigating the historical narrative of Greek Fire , the ancient Byzantine weapon emerges as a pivotal element during the Arab siege of Constantinople in 678 AD. In a daring counterattack, the...
The Hagia Sophia Mosque in Istanbul, originally serving as the spiritual center of Eastern Christianity, played a symbolic and historical role in the Great Schism of 1054. Source: LALSSTOCK / Adobe Stock

East vs. West: The Untold Story of Christianity's Great Schism

Christianity is one of the foremost religions in the world. It has a long history, which was often fraught with crises, struggles, and persecutions. Of course, as the centuries passed, so did...
Catholics and Oriental Christians debating. 	Source: Public Domain

What Caused the Christian Church’s Great Schism? (Video)

The Great Schism, a pivotal event in Christian history during the 11th century, was primarily fueled by profound theological disagreements and longstanding political tensions. At the heart of the...
Constantine the Great. Source: SVasco / Adobe Stock.

Constantine's Death Threatened to Split the Roman Empire (Video)

Constantine's demise in 337 AD marked a turning point in the Roman Empire's trajectory . After his death, the city of Constantinople, which he had fostered, thrived while Rome, the former capital in...
Libraries of ancient wisdom that helped shape our understanding of the world. Source:  tilialucida/Adobe Stock

Halls of Ancient Wisdom: 7 Remarkable Ancient Libraries

Throughout history, some of the world’s most powerful rulers have acknowledged one simple fact, knowledge is power. This fact led them to build monumental testaments to the pursuit of knowledge and...
 Apocalypse landscape. Source: ErenMotion / Adobe Stock.

Apocalypse 536 AD: The Catastrophic Event That Plunged the World into Darkness (Video)

In the year 536 AD, a mysterious event plunged the world into darkness for a year and a half. Constantinople writers of the time described the sun as dimmed and blotted out, causing crop failures,...
A Byzantine ship using Greek fire against an enemy ship. Source: Public Domain

A Blazing Weapon: Unraveling the Mystery of Greek Fire

In the shadowy world of ancient warfare, one weapon stood out as a true marvel: Greek fire. In the 7th century AD, the Byzantine Empire harnessed the power of fire with the creation of Greek fire, a...
Pastel style drawing of Anna Komnene writing the Alexiad in the monastery of the Virgin Mary Full of Grace.	Source: Midjourney AI / Public Domain

Anna Komnene: The Byzantine Biographer Princess and First Female Historian

These days, it seems that if an author wants to go straight to the top of the New York Times bestseller list, all they need to do is release a tell-all memoir or biography aimed at a famous...
Istanbul’s Bosporus Strait, Fragile Hinge Between East And West

Istanbul’s Bosporus Strait, Fragile Hinge Between East And West

The continents of Europe and Asia shake hands across Istanbul’s Bosporus Strait, connecting the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara which in turn connects to the Mediterranean Sea through the Dardanelles...
Night Time over Hagia Sophia or Hagia Sophia Church of the Holy Wisdom in Istanbul, Turkey  (Savvapanf Photo / Adobe Stock)

The Many Incarnations Of Hagia Sophia In Istanbul

Towering over Istanbul atop one of its highest hills, Hagia Sophia has stood for over 1,500 years as an architectural wonder, one of the largest and most remarkable Christian churches ever built. Its...
Night view of Topkapi Palace from across the Bosphorus (Lefteris Papaulakis  / Adobe Stock)

Topkapi Palace, Showcasing Ottoman Splendor And Opulence

Centuries before Versailles, Buckingham Palace and the Kremlin Palace, on the shore where the Western world meets the East, cupped by the Sea of Marmara, the Bosphorus Strait and the Golden Horn,...
Coffee beans next to a skull. Source: karnstocks / Adobe Stock

When Sweden’s King Ordered a Clinical Trial of Coffee on Prisoners

Between Dunkin Donuts and Starbucks, coffee is everywhere. If you’re a coffee lover, you may have wondered about how coffee came to be throughout history. In early times, however, some people...
The entrance of Mehmed II into Constantinople in 1453 AD, by Benjamin-Constant. Source: Public domain

Did Constantinople Fall Because Someone Forgot to Lock the Gate?

For over 1,000 years, Constantinople held out against a never-ending stream of failed attacks. Capital of the Byzantine Empire, a.k.a. the Eastern Roman Empire , it was famed for its heavily...
The Hellenistic cremation burial remains found in a 2,300-year-old tomb in the ancient city of Chalcedon that is now part of modern-day Istanbul, Turkey.		Source: Sebnem Coskun / Anadolu Agency

Rare Hellenistic Cremation Burial Found in Turkey in 2,300-Year-Old Tomb

A rare 2,300-year-old Hellenistic cremation burial has been discovered in Istanbul. Artifacts discovered in the Hellenistic-era burial tomb are revealing secrets about the city of ancient Chalcedon,...
Mosaic of Theodora - Basilica of San Vitale, RAVENNA (built A.D. 547), Italy. UNESCO World heritage site. (Petar Milošević/ CC BY-SA 4.0)

Formidable Byzantine Roman Empress Theodora - Saint Or Sinner?

The hooded gaze of an inscrutable Theodora (c.497- 548 AD) greets hundreds of thousands of visitors each year as they pay their respects to her mosaic at the Basilica of Saint Vitale in Ravenna ,...
The Roman monastery mosaic recently unearthed in Western, Turkey

Historic Roman Monastery and Stunning Mosaic Unearthed in Turkey

Recently, two unidentified men, conducting an illegal excavation, stumbled upon an invaluable piece of history in western Turkey. The robbers had inadvertently unearthed a rare mosaic that was once...
Sign Language Only in the Topkapi Palace of Suleiman!

Sign Language Only in the Topkapi Palace of Suleiman!

Almost everyone at the Istanbul Topkapi Palace was a slave, but this is not the only curious attribute the palace had when ruled by Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent. Everyone was forced to learn and...
Armenia’s Greatest Military Leader: Vardan Mamikonian And His Dynasty

Armenia’s Greatest Military Leader: Vardan Mamikonian And His Dynasty

Vardan Mamikonian was an Armenian military leader who lived between the 4 th and 5 th centuries AD. He is best-known for leading the Armenians against the Sassanians at the Battle of Avarayr in 451...
Mapping The Lost Subterranean Christian Origins Of Hagia Sophia

Mapping The Lost Subterranean Christian Origins Of Hagia Sophia

At one time a cathedral, later a mosque, and now the chief museum of the Turkish Republic, Hagia Sophia, in the ancient Byzantine imperial capital of Constantinople (now Istanbul), was a world-famous...
The Fall of Constantinople

The Fall of Constantinople: Relentless Ottoman Fire Power Finally Pulverizes the Last Vestiges of the Roman Empire

Constantinople stood against sieges and attacks for many centuries, until finally new technology—the big cannons of the Ottoman Empire —brought down the Byzantine Empire’s capital. The fall of...
The Empire of Trebizond: Byzantine Offshoot of Great Power and Wealth

The Empire of Trebizond: Byzantine Offshoot of Great Power and Wealth

The fascinating and exotic history of the Empire of Trebizond, which existed between the 13th and 15th centuries AD, is a great story. This empire occupied the southern coast of the Black Sea, and...
The Holy Shroud And The Mandylion: One And The Same?

The Holy Shroud And The Mandylion: One And The Same?

The enigma of the Holy Shroud has fascinated and baffled both the faithful and scholars for hundreds of years. To unravel the history and secret journey of how it came to the lands of the French in...

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