| Byzantium and Its Influence on Neighboring
Peoples
The citizens
of Byzantium considered themselves to be the center of the civilized world,
with good reason. Their civilization had far-reaching political and cultural
influences in all directions during the Byzantine period.
Who were the Byzantine Empire's
neighbors?
The diversity of its
neighboring peoples and the ambivalence of their relationship with the
empire demonstrates the complexity of the golden age of Byzantium, the
multicultural composition of the empire, and the varying extent of the
empire's influence on its immediate Christian
neighbors and rivals, which included the Kievan Rus', the Bulgarians,
the Georgians, and the Armenians, among others.
What was Byzantium's relationship
with the great courts of the East?
Further afield, Byzantium
also set the standard to be emulated and rivaled by the great courts of
the East, which were the only royal houses that had the wealth and power
to inspire admiration and envy among the Byzantines. The interaction between
the Islamic and Byzantine art forms reflects the empire's view of itself
as the center of the world, connecting with all the surrounding cultures.
Where else did the Byzantine
influence reach?
Cultural links also
existed between Byzantium and the Latin West during the Byzantine centuries
and are evident in the works of art of both cultures.
More Themes
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St. George 
Madonna and Child 
Pendant |
