About Us

The Byzantine Legacy aims at providing documented, quality information on art, architecture and history from Late Antique, Early Christian and the Byzantine eras. While the term "Byzantine" is useful, it is important to remember that they always called themselves Romans. Yet the Roman Empire experienced significant changes, especially the ascendancy of Christianity and the loss of the Western Roman Empire. While that the citizens of the empire centered on Constantinople always called themselves Roman, the term “Byzantine” is used to as a conventional term to note the changes that the empire underwent – including the loss of the city of Rome itself. The Byzantines were not a single ethnicity, but included many different cultures that were generally dominated by the Greek language and Orthodox Christianity. In addition to being important in its own right, the Byzantine Empire also provides a helpful point of view to explore the many cultures that interacted with and influenced each other.