The Roman and Byzantine Empires

From The Republic till Trajan

Londinium

Castra Regina

Mediolanum

East Roman Empire

acquisitions t.100 B.C.

Burgundy Kdm.

acquisitions t. 14 A.D.

Franconian Kdm.

acquisitions t. 117 A.D.

Ostrogoth Emp.

bigger than 100.000East Roman Empire

other German groups

acquisitions t.100 B.C.

bigger than 30.000 Burgundy Kdm.

under Sassanid occupation

acquisitions t. 14 A.D.

city

Franconian Kdm.

Roman Emp. after Justinian. 565

acquisitions t. 117 A.D.

landway

Ostrogoth Emp.

patriarchy

temp. acquisitions

see- riverway

Westgoth Emp.

Constantines fort

hinterland of cities

caravanway

Vandal Emp.

reconquest by Justinian 534

bigger than 100.000

languageborder

other German groups

reconquest by Justinian 554

bigger than 30.000

under Sassanid occupation

Persian Attack

city

Roman Emp. after Justinian. 565Avarian Attack

GREEK

patriarchy

see- riverway

Constantines fort

caravanway

reconquest by Justinian 534

languageborder

reconquest by Justinian 554

Ancona

Thessalonice

Ancyra

ays

Gades

Pergamon

4d

ays
9d

Smyrna
Ephesus

Antioch

Carthague
20 da
ys

Tingis

11

17 d
ays

LATIN

da
ys

Alexandria

East Roman Empire

acquisitions t.100 B.C.

Burgundy Kdm.

acquisitions t. 14 A.D.

Franconian Kdm.

acquisitions t. 117 A.D.

Ostrogoth Emp.

temp. acquisitions

Westgoth Emp.

Theben

Danes

Anglo-Saxons

Franconian
Kdm.

Bretons

landway

Burgundy Kdm.

patriarchy

acquisitions t. 14 A.D.

see- riverway

Franconian Kdm.

Constantines fort

acquisitions t. 117 A.D. Baltic caravanway

germans

Ostrogoth Emp.

reconquest by Justinian 534

temp. acquisitions

Westgoth Emp.

reconquest by Justinian 554

Vandal Emp.

Persian Attack

other German groups

Avarian Attack

city

Roman Emp. after Justinian. 565

landway

patriarchy

see- riverway

Constantines fort

languageborder

Burgundy
Kdm.

63
53

47
36
30

27
20
13

Augustus

BC

33
37

Tito destroys Jerusalem

Jews spread to the whole empire

79

Trajan anexes Dacia Nabataea 106

Damascus returned to Roma 107
Trajan conquers Mesopotamia

115

jewish revolt against Rome

132

second Attack against Rome by the Barbarians

Caracalla grants citizenship on all free people of the Empire

100

164

Nero

68
69
79
81
96

Galba
Otho / Vitellius / Vespasian
Titus
Domitian
Nerva

117
132

Hadrian
Antoninus Pius

161

Marcus Aurelius

180
192
193

Commodus
Pertinax / Didius Julian
Septimius Severus

211

Caracalla

217
218
222

Macrinus
Elagabalus
Alexander Severus

235
238
244
249

Maximin
Gordian I / II / Pupienus
Balbinus / Gordian III
Philipp Arabs
Decius

225

Antioch

532

251
253

Hostilian / Gallus
Aemilian / Valerian

259
268
270

Gallienus
Claudius II
Quintillus / Aurelian

275
276

Tacitus
Florian / Probus

Trajan

212
214

ck

East Roman
Empire

533

98

167

tta

Severus murders King Abgar IX of Edesa

55

54

64

200

persian-at
tack

534

Tiberius
Caligula
Claudius

58

Alanians

n-a

1
55

534

33
37
41

43

Persian Attack

250

Damascos
Bosra

Sassanid
Emp.

Alexandria

10 ETH Studio Basel

27

EXPANSION

6
14

Persians

DRAFT

EMPIRE

Constantinopla

532

Berbers

50

150

aria
aw

554

Roma

Athenes

Vandal
Emp.

persucution

first Atack to Rome by the Barbarians

Ravenna

Westgoth
Kdm.
535

64

Huns

Avarian Attack

552

Basques

Romans conquer Armenia

plague

reconquest by Justinian 534

Bulgarians
reconquest by Justinian 554

Gepids

ROME

100

90
73
65

under Sassanid occupation

Slavs

Langorbards
caravanway

Ostrogoth
Emp.

Suebi

Roman Emp. after Justinian. 565

acquisitions t.100 B.C.

bigger than 30.000

OF

under Sassanid occupation

East Roman Empire

hinterland of cities
Thuringians
bigger than 100.000

Saxons

Vandal Emp.

city

languageborder

49

first Christian

other German groups

bigger than 30.000

Roman Emp. 200 B.C.

Caesar becomes dictator of Rome

REPUBLIC

150

The Roman government wanted

Roman culture to flourish in the
farthest reaches of the empire,
which at the time included eastern Palestine. So they encouraged the growth of ten cities,
allowing them some political
autonomy within the protective
sphere of Rome. Each city functioned as a polis or city-state,
with jurisdiction over an area
of the surrounding countryside.
Each city also minted its own
coins.

50

Roman Emp. 200 B.C.

bigger than 100.000

Byzantium and the Restoration of the Empire

149
146
138

Claudius invades Britain

Memphis

hinterland of cities

Roma conquers Greece after the battle of Corith

Cartague is destroyed
slave revolt in Socily
begining of mediterranean expansion
social wars in Italy
Spartacus leads the revolt of the gladiators
Roman general Pompey annexed the western part of Syria
Damascus incorporated into league of Decapolis
Berytus conquered by Agrippa
Pompeus captures Jerusalem and anexes Palestine
first war against Persia

Augustus expands in the Balkans

five million people live in the whole empire
Jesus Crucified
Caligula transferred Damascus to Nabataean control

Damascos
Jerusalem

GREEK

196
175

200

AD

Berytus

Gaza

LATIN

Rome defeats the Macedonian King Philip V

Celts of Spain are Subjugated

Caesar invades Egipt and proclaims Cleopatra queen

Rome tries to invade Persia
Cleopatra commits suicide and Egipt is anexed to Rome
Augustus the first Emperor
Roma and Persia fixes the boundary along Euphrates
Augustus expands borders to region of Danube
Jesus is born
Roma has 1 Million People

Byzantion

Athenes
Carthago Nova
Corduba

250

Roman Emp. 200 B.C.

Avarian Attack

Brundisium

225
222
218

Vandal Emp.

Ravenna

Roma

Gauls invade Rome

invading Gauls are defeated
Hannibal invades Italy and the Gauls of n.Italy ally with him

Westgoth Emp.

Persian Attack

Terraco

275
264

temp. acquisitions

Mediolanum

Massillia

Roma conquers southern Italy (Greek colonies)

Roma and Carthage fight the first Punic war

hinterland of cities

LATIN
landway

Augusta T.

Roman Emp. 200 B.C.

Sassanids defeat Romans and conquer Dura Europorus

Decius order the first empire-wide persecution of Christians

256
259

Romans destroy the city of Palmyra

273

in Mesopotamia

Arabians

CRISIS
Damascus became a metropolis
by the beginning of the second
century and in 222 it was upgraded to a colonia by the Emperor Septimius Severus. During the Pax Romana, Damascus
and the Roman province of
Syria in general began to prosper. Damascus's importance as
a caravan city was evident with
the trade routes from southern
Arabia, Palmyra, Petra, and the
silk routes from China all converging on it.

THE ROMAN AND BYZANTINE EMPIRES Santiago Espitia Berndt

11

The Roman and Byzantine Empires

from constantine to the end of the Empire

300
Constantius I / Galerius
Severus / Maximian / Maxentius
Maximinus Daia
Licinius / Constantine I /

286

15 million Christians

305
306
308

313

Constantine II 311

324

330
Constantius II / Constans

empire divides into east and west

population of the Empire is around 60 million people

Balbek
Bo

sp

Constantine recognizes the Christian Church

Constantine founds Constantinople

capital ist moved to Constantinople

Theodosius W
Maximus E
Eugenius E
E . W Honorius

379
383
392
395

Arcadius

Theodosius' death brought the

Empire into the less skilled
hands of his sons Honorius and
Arcadius. Their personal hostility was resolved by a decision
to divide the Empire irrevocably
into two parts. Arcadius became
Emperor of the Eastern Empire,
which soon became known as
the Byzantine Empire. Honorius
assumed the throne of the new
Western Empire--just 81 years
before its demise at the hands
of Odoacer.

Theodosius II E

Constantius III
Johannes
Valentinian III W
Marcian E

Petronius W / Avitus
Majorian W . Leo I
Severus
Anthemius
Olybrius
Glycerius / Julius Nepos
Zeno
Romulus A. W . Basiliscus

W
E
W
W
W
W
E
E

Anastasius I E

Constantinople

400

RESTORATION
Justinians reign is marked by
the ambitious but ultimately
failed renovatio imperii. This
ambition was expressed in
the partial recovery of the
territories of the Western
Roman Empire, including
the city of Rome itself. A
still more resonant aspect of
his legacy was the uniform
rewriting of Roman law, the
Corpus Juris Civilis. His reign
also marked a blossoming of
Byzantine culture.

SHRINKING
BORDERS
The region of Syria remained
one of the most important provinces of the Byzantine Empire,
although in the 6th century it
was plagued by Sassanid Persian incursions during the Roman-Persian Wars. It was occupied by the Sassanids between
609 and 628, when recovered
by the emperor Heraclius.

450

DRAFT
12 ETH Studio Basel

402

Empire is divided. Milan / Constantinople are capitals

capital ist moved to Ravenna W
decline of Romes population to 100.000 W

406

Barbarians invades France form the north W

413

city Wall of Constantinople is being built E

Constantinople has a million people E
war against Sassanid Empire E

441

bataillon is defeated by Huns in Naissus E

452

Huns invades Italy W

Vandals sack Roma W

455

455
457
461
467
472
473
474
475

Tyre

Bosra
Tib

er

Capernum

Sepphoris

Roma

602
610

Galilee
sea

Scythopolis
Caesarea

GAULANITIS
Dion

Hyppos
Raphana

Bethabara

DECAPOLIS

Pella

Antioch

476 decline from West Roman Empire

Gerasa

493

SUMARIA

Ostrogoths led by Theodoric conquer Italy

Jabbok

Sychar
525
526
527
529
533
534
535
536
537
540
542

551

anti-Jewish policies
Antioch in Syria is destroyed by an earthquake
Justinian decides to reconquer Italy
Justinian shuts down the Academia of Plato
Justinians code of law Corpus Juri Civilis is published
Belisarius destroys the Arian kingdom of the Vandals
reconquers southern Spain and northern Africa
Ostrogoths surrender
Justinian builds the church of Hagia Sophia
Belisarius takes Ravenna from Ostrogothic
plague decimates the Empire

552

city of Rome is reconquered

earthquake destroys Berytus
end of Ostrogothic resistance in Italy

568

Alboins Lombards invade northern Italy

JUDAEA
1.5 Km

Joppa

PEREA
Ephraim

Lydda
Jamnia

Jericho
Emmaus
Jerusalem

JUDEA

Qumaran

Bethlehem

636
641

650

Sassanids capture Jerusalem

Persians capture Egypt
Visigoths reconquer Spain from Roman empire
Sassanids besiege Constantinople
Romans retake Syria from the Sassanids
Arabs capture Syria and Palestine

Syria

borders 1st. century

Arabia

borders after Trajan

Judaea

main street-way

main city

PHILISTIA
614
619
621
626
628

NABATEA
Philadelphia

Machaerus

600

ARABIA

Shechem

565

Phocas I
Heraclius I

Bethsaida

Nazareth

518

578
582

Canatha

Ptolemais

491

Tiberius II
Maurice

Caesarea Philipi

Gadara

550

Constantine III / Heracleon

/ Constans II

Visigoths defeat the Roman Army at Hadrianopolis

Tiberia

Justinian 527

Justin I

395

421

421
423
425

500
Justin I E

PHOENICIA

408

450

ee

ar

m
ar

378

DIVISION

Damascus

350
361
363
364
375

SYRIA

us

Berytus

337

Julian
Jovian
Valentinian I W . E Valens
Gratian W / Valentinian II W

or

Wa
ll of
Con
stan
tine

Diocletian created a new

administrative system.After
the abdication of Diocletian
and Maximian, however,
the tetrachy collapsed, and
Constantine I replaced it
with the dynastic principle
of hereditary succession.

5Km

1 Km

II

TETRARCHY

282
283
284
285

Wa
ll of
The
odo
sius

Carus
Numerian/ Carinus
Diocletian
Maximian

Gaza

Dead
Sea

member of Decapolis league

city
town

Beersheba

IDUMEA
Masaba
10 Km

50 Km

middle East 1st. & 2nd. Century

THE ROMAN AND BYZANTINE EMPIRES Santiago Espitia Berndt 13