--- Only in the eastern Mediterranean did a classical empire survive. The eastern half of the Roman empire, known as the Byzantine empire, withstood the various problems that brought down other classical societies and survived for almost a millennium after the collapse of the western Roman empire in the fifth century C.E.
--- The Byzantine empire was a political and economic powerhouse of the postclassical era. Until the twelfth century, Byzantine authority dominated the wealthy and productive eastern Mediterranean region. The Byzantine empire also deeply influenced the historical development of the Slavic peoples of eastern Europe and Russia. Byzantine missionaries and diplomats introduced writing, Christianity, codified law, and sophisticated political organization into lands settled by Slavic peoples. Because Byzantine political, economic, and cultural influence stretched so far, historians often refer to it as the “Byzantine commonwealth.” Just as Greek and Roman initiative brought Mediterranean lands into a larger integrated society, Byzantine policies led to the formation of a large, multicultural zone of trade, communication and interaction.
--- The Byzantine empire takes its name from Byzantion - latinized as
Byzantium – a modest market town and fishing village that occupied a site of enormous strategic significance. Situated on a defensible peninsula, Byzantion had the potential to control the strait of water leading from the Black Sea, the
Aegean Sea, and the Mediterranean. Apart from its maritime significance,
Byzantion also offered convenient access to the rich lands of Anatolia, southwestern Asia, and southeastern Europe. Because of its
