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The period in Western Asian history from the fourth to the mid-seventh centuries AD is variously referred to as "Roman," "Late Roman," "Late Antiquity" or "Byzantine." The term "Byzantine" is used here, following the refined period division of Levantine archaeologists to distinguish the last centuries of the eastern Roman empire before the Islamic conquest. There is no historically formal beginning for the period, the choice being one of scholarly convenience. The year AD 324, when Constantine I founded the new imperial capital of Constantinople, provides a logical marker. The eponymous site, at the junction between Asia and Europe, was the old Greek settlement of Byzantion. The focus of administration of the Roman empire moved from Rome to centre on the Balkans and the eastern Mediterranean. It is from here that a Christian and primarily Greek-speaking state evolved. |
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