Unit 1: The Byzantine Empire

When the Roman Empire was divided, the western section became known as the Byzantine Empire.

• True

• False

The Pax Romana was a 200-year period of peace in the Roman Empire.

• True

• False

Germanic tribes, including the Visigoths and Vandals, attacked Rome and helped bring about the empire’s downfall.

• True

• False

Christian missionaries became less important in the church after the fall of the Western Roman Empire.

• True

• False

Romans spread the Latin language throughout Europe and Africa as they gained political power in these areas.

• True

• False

The Byzantine civilization had a culture that was mainly derived from

• the Greeks.

• the Romans.

• various Asian civilizations.

• a blend of several cultures.

The Justinian Code has been the basis for what in many countries?

• government organization

• legal systems

• religious order

• the system for taxation

The capital city of the Eastern Roman Empire was

• Adrianople.

• Constantinople.

• Rome.

• Spartacus.

What physical feature made Constantinople easy to defend?

• It was entirely surrounded by desert.

• It sat on a plateau that overlooked the North European Plain.

• It was located on a peninsula and was surrounded by water on three sides.

• It was located on a mountaintop in the Alps.

Why was the use of icons forbidden by some Byzantines?

• Icons were expensive to make, and less money would be spent to help the poor.

• Icons were considered a form of idol worship forbidden by God.

• Icons did not reflect accurate stories about saints and other holy people.

• Icons only showed images of Byzantine emperors, which outraged Byzantine Christians.