How Did Justinian Influence Architecture

Philip Sherrard states that the Byzantine Empire of Constantinople was “ the best fortified city in the world…” because of “ it’s towers [housing] more archers and missile throwers.” (Document B) Because of the architecture the empire was well equipped and safely guarded. In document note of Justinian’s code it states that Justinian’s modification of the Byzantine Empire’s laws shaped “our basic ideas about law and justice today.” and created a more “ unified empire.”

The Hagia Sophia was built in Constantinople in A.D. 532 by the emperor Justinian, who hired the renowned architects Anthemius and Isidorus to build it. It was built over an existing building built by Constantine himself. The Hagia Sophia was a very significant building of its time and one that drew attention and respect. At this time in history the Byzantines, specifically Justinian, wanted to make one message clear, that message being that the emperor of the byzantines empire,

of Byzantine at that time. Him and his wife, Theodora, set a goal to restore

He saved their legacy, by investigating the old Roman laws, and making a less difficult legitimate code to keep everybody in line. In archive 7, it has a portion from The Justinian Code, Book 1, Section 8, about slaves and in addition laws. The Justinian code originates from a chronicled setting, so when it talks about slaves in a way turning into an ownership, it is truly exact, and there is nothing to predisposition the journalists of the code, Justinian, since that was everybody's view at the time. This extract is depicting what precisely Justinian executed while changing a significant number of the prior law, while attempting to make everything uniform for the extensive body he represented over. The men that checked on the laws alongside Justinian could make the Justinian Code with a little more than 4,000 laws. This backings my statement, since he was regarding their old laws and legacy, however improved them, and more

Justinian had a sincere wish to restore the glory of ancient Rome and improve the empire but the means to which he attempted to accomplish this were devastating to his people. With the increase in his

This was the beginning of Justinian’s famous rule, which lasted from 527 A.D. through 565 A.D. (The Reign of Justinian). The reign of

Justinian was born around, 482, He was the Byzantine emperor, after his uncle. He ruled from 527 to 565, making a great impact on the Eastern Roman Empire. His first priority was to strengthen the empire, and return it to its prior ancient glory. Outstandingly, he was able to restore the city, Constantinople, after multiple important religious buildings, were burned down, and destroyed, during approximately January, 11 – 19, 532.

While the Hagia Sophia and the Pantheon were built in and represent two different time periods and locations, they have some similar structural features as well as some resembling circumstances surrounding their prospective histories. Both of their unique construction is related to their different purposes and the symbolism behind the buildings. The Pantheon represents a time in which the Roman empire was booming with trade and commerce. There was a growing interest in art and sculpture as well as religion. There was also an emphasis on imperialism and the strength and power of the emperor. The transition from the Roman to the Byzantine empire took place under the emperor, Constantine and it happened around 330 C.E. He moved the capital from Rome to Byzantion and renamed the city Constantinople meaning the city of Constantine, which is modern day Istanbul. This was also a huge intersection in the east-west trade. He then changed the official religion of the empire to Christianity which created a major shift in structures, works of art, and lifestyle dynamics. The emperor was now seen as the head of the church, and in 391 C.E. all temples and forms of the pagan cult that dominated the Roman Empire were closed and banned.

The Byzantine Emperor, Justinian I, was known for his accomplishment, such as improving the Roman law code. This changed the development of law.

Furthermore, Justinian and Theodora's rule reinforces the political aspect and appeal of religion for Byzantine emperors. Theodora was a fervent monophysite christian and Justian himself was a strong supporter of the Chalcedon council. Yet, the way with which it seems that they simply 'agreed to disagree' actually had quite some positive political consequences; the extent to which these were planned is of course debatable. Indeed, Justinian had military ambitions in the Eastern empire and in North Africa where large patches of monophysites remained therefore this situation where Theodora secretly supported monophysites and he did not accept them without at the same time openly persecuting them was quite suitable. The support of monophysites was

During the reign of Justinian, the government attempted to provide a number of services that would improve the lives of the people. These services

During the year 535, Justinian overthrew the Ostrogothic Kingdom, which had occupied Italy after the split and decline of the Roman Empire. Justinian was said to be the most ambitious emperor since Constantine, whose rule ended in 337. His goal in overthrowing the Ostrogothic Kingdom was to eventually reunify the Roman Empire. Belisarius, Justinian’s general, had already

The lower level and the second level are divided by the cornis in the ratio of a square root of 2 to 1. Exterior walls are divided into two zones by the cornis but no correspondence with the height of the interior cornis. The hemispherical dome has the skylight oculus of 8.9m in diameter. The second level is the re-design in 1747, which consists of a row of blind windows alternating with square designs. The real columns and pilasters of lower level are repeated again on the upper walls as graphic images. This kind of design technique, the repeat and the superimpose are frequently used in high Renaissance, Mannerism, Baroque and of course in modern age. Hagia Sophia Hagia Sophia was built by Emperor Constantius, son of Emperor Constantinos I, and was opened for services in 360 AD. Although very little is known about this church, it is assumed that it was a basilica-type structure with a rectangular floor plan, circular apse and timbered roof. It was similar to St. Studios, a basilica in Istanbul, the ruins of which still exist. Ancient sources emphasize that the eastern wall was circular. Constantius donated gold and silver as well as religious objects to his church, but these were vandalized by Arians during the Council of 381 AD. Hagia Sophia was first named "Megale Ekklesia" (The Great Church) as it was the largest church in Constantinople. The historian Socrates indicated that the church was named Sophia during the reign of Emperor

Justinian Mosaic is a Byzantine mosaic located in the apse of San Vitale, Ravenna in 540 AD. It was made from gold and glass mosaic tesserae. The artists painted or covered the glass with gold first and then pressed into the plaster background. The artists manipulated the space which was to utilize the illumination of the candles in the church to cause the sparkle of the glass. The overall looking of this piece is luxurious and magnificence. In this piece, Justinian is surrounded by his priests and his military. He is placed in the center of the whole piece, wearing jewelry-crown, jewelry-accessory and gold cloths with a halo behind his head. He offers a gift called Pater which contains the bread used for the Eucharist would be held. The main

Agrippa, Augustus’ right-hand man, constructed this building as a temple to all the gods; however, a fire destroyed this temple in 80 CE and so Domitian built the reconstruction. The Pantheon we are familiar with has a significantly different design than the original one, and this is why this specific temple is so dislike to the rest of the Roman temples. Before it was burnt, the Pantheon stood in a podium at the end of a large rectangular court. The surroundings of this temple have changed in order to provide a unique experience to its visitors. For example, the temple has en enormous dome with a 27-foot oculus that opens to the sky. This oculus lets a shaft of light come through creating an emphasis wherever the reflection is. Visitors were driven nowhere but to the light at the center of the dome. This building was built for greeting foreign embassies, adjudicating disputes and hold court (Janson). Moreover, the Pantheon is extraordinary because of the potential and strength of concrete. Some other materials used in the process of building the temple include travertine, tufa, brick, and pumice. These materials varied in order to reduce its weight. The colored marble on the wall symbolized imperial authority. The sphere is though to symbolize eternity and perfection and the bronze panels symbolized a starry night sky.