Medievalists.net » Constantine I

Katherine of Alexandria: Decline of an Empire

Medievalists.net — Tue, 28 Apr 2015 00:46:00 +0000

According to hagiographers, (C)Katherine was a princess, the daughter of Roman governor named Constus. She was well educated, beautiful and highly intelligent. She converted to Christianity at the age of 13 or 14 and caught the eye of the Roman Emperor, Maxentius (278-318 AD).

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Charlemagne’s Denarius, Constantine’s Edicule, and the Vera Crux

Medievalists.net — Tue, 02 Dec 2014 00:46:53 +0000

In 806 a much-discussed silver denarius bearing the likeness of Charlemagne was issued. This is called the “temple-type” coin due to the (as yet unidentified) architectural structure illustrated on the reverse side, and which is explicitly labeled as representing the epitome of “Christian Religion.”

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The conversion of Constantine and the Christianisation of Europe

Medievalists.net — Fri, 21 Nov 2014 03:54:16 +0000

Historians have argued for centuries - in the face of contradictory primary sources - both about when and how the Roman Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity, and the nature and extent of his faith.

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Unexpected Evidence concerning Gold Mining in Early Byzantium

Medievalists.net — Sun, 09 Nov 2014 16:40:28 +0000

One of the consequences of the decline of Roman imperial might was the shortage of slaves at state-run mines. Consequently, criminals were often sentenced to damnatio ad metallum. The need for gold especially soared when the gold solidus was introduced at the beginning of the fourth century.

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Projecting Power in Sixth-Century Rome: The church of Santi Cosma e Damiano in the late antique Forum Romanum

Medievalists.net — Thu, 05 Dec 2013 01:23:54 +0000

In the year 526 CE, the bishop of Rome, Pope Felix IV, petitioned the Ostrogoth king Theoderic for permission to convert a small complex in the Forum Romanum into a place of worship dedicated to the Saints Cosmas and Damian...This paper critiques traditional interpretations of this church—its physical location and its apse mosaic—in light of new research that nuances our understanding of the historical context in which it was commissioned.

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Abortions in Byzantine times (325-1453 AD)

Medievalists.net — Thu, 18 Jul 2013 19:49:11 +0000

All legislation of Byzantium from the earliest times also condemned abortions. Consequently, foeticide was considered equal to murder and infanticide and the result was severe punishments for all persons who participated in an abortive technique reliant on drugs or other methods. The punishments could extend to exile, confiscation of property and death.

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Conversion and Empire: Byzantine Missionaries, Foreign Rulers, and Christian Narratives (ca. 300-900)

Medievalists.net — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 05:08:44 +0000

For a broader modern audience today, if taken somewhat journalistically, Pusicius’ story is an example that cuts along cultural and religious lines that presumably originate in ancient, political divisions and confirm a “clash of civilizations” thesis.

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Hellenism and the Shaping of the Byzantine Empire

Medievalists.net — Mon, 27 Aug 2012 14:23:18 +0000

While the role of Byzantine Hellenism on the art, literature, and society of the Empire has been the subject of tremendous study, the question of its origins has, nonetheless, rarely been raised, and the strongly Hellenic Byzantine identity seems, to a large extent, to have been taken for granted historiographically.

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Byzantine Intelligence Service

Medievalists.net — Sun, 20 May 2012 17:22:24 +0000

The basis on which the successful administration of the Roman Empire at its zenith was built was the cursus publicus, or the state post. This organization also made the service of intelligence more effective.

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Byzantine Pilgrimage Art

Medievalists.net — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 01:06:26 +0000

Who were these pilgrims? Literally, they were hoi polloi; they came from every stratum of society, from all vocations (including the indigent and sick), and from every corner of the Christian world.

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