The Comparison Between Roman and Byzantine Empires - Essay Example

Forum Paper: Roman and Byzantine Empires The Roman empire arose out of the older Roman Republic which had gradually extended territory across central and western Europe. It was ruled by a combination of powerful emperors, supported by their own little army, and a highly developed senate structure with powers to make laws and print money. In the first century A.D. highly trained Roman armies kept rebellious barbarians at bay and built the infrastructure of roads, forts and defence works that held the empire together over its vast territories. Gradually, however, the supply routes became overstretched, and the barbarians began to raid towns and villages on the edges of the Roman lands. It was increasingly difficult for the relatively small Roman homeland to supply troops and resources and so auxiliary forces from various conquered tribes were recruited and pressed into service. Added to these pressures of great size was a problem of vulnerability to fluctuations in the climate, which affected food supply in the first instance, and then also morale and army recruit levels as a secondary consequence. These external pressures weakened the empire and made it hard for the military machine to keep up with its task of protecting the empire and collecting the tribute that was due from each far flung corner. The culture and technology of the Romans were much more highly developed than those of the surrounding smaller tribal societies, and for many years this advantage ensured that they could maintain economic and military supremacy. Education was important to the Romans, and those who enjoyed Roman citizenship were carefully taught ancient arts such as rhetoric in order to take up an active role in politics and law. Santosuosso points out, however, that internal difficulties in the running of the empire began increasingly to have an effect on its stability. Local military commanders increasingly looked to make themselves rich on the pickings available, and they failed to show sufficient loyalty and commitment to the emperor: “Ambitious aristocrats fed on one another; in the process their troops became armies of pillagers.” (Santosuosso, 2005, p. 95) In Rome decadence and corruption at the very top of society contrasted with desperate poverty and slavery at the bottom. This created a great deal of strain on society and its systems. By the beginning of the fourth century A.D. many barbarian tribes were allowed to wander freely through the Roman territories, and even settle there, which in the end may have turned out to be a tactical error. The barbarians learned a great deal from the Romans, and they combined new technologies with a very strong loyalty to their leaders. Above all they learned eventually to work together and bring waves and waves of attack which Rome could, in the end, simply not withstand. No single barbarian leader could ever hope to conquer the Romans, but by working together they made it a war of attrition which eventually rewarded them well. The eastern part of the Roman Empire took a different tack, and made explicit peace with the surrounding Barbarians, and when Rome fell, the eastern part ruled from Constantinople became the Byzantine empire. The Vandals were kept in check, unlike the Huns and the Ostrogoths in the West, and Byzantium flourished as a centre of trade and learning, carrying forward its largely Greek inspired culture long after the Roman culture had been overtaken by Franks and other tribes. Christianity became more widely accepted and the Byzantine flourished, even though it lost some territory to the rising Muslim empire in the seventh century. Because it had always been a centre of exchange of ideas between East and West, Byzantium was better able to cope with changing political forces in the region, using diplomacy and trade rather than war to pursue its longer term interests. Islamic culture was based on the Arabic language and the new religion of Islam brought by the prophet Mohamed in the early seventh century. The early phases were governed by Caliphs who administered vast tracts of land Eastern Europe and areas towards India, including Persia. Over time they advanced to the south and west as well, reaching even Spain where they established great centres of learning and magnificent architecture. One of the reasons for the success of the Islamic empire was its devotion to learning of all kinds. In the ninth century a library was created in Baghdad which actively collected ancient medical texts in various languages, including the Greek collections contained in the Byzantine empire. The Arabic speaking scholars undertook the task of preserving medical knowledge from classical scholars like Galen, Hippocrates and Dioscorides and adding to it the observations and studies of contemporary muslim scholars. Tschanz (1997) lists at great length the significant attainments of the Arab culture, ranging from key developments in scientific method, such as observation and careful experimentation, to the development of cures and pharmaceuticals which the Christian monks in the west could only dream of. Many of the recommendations of early Islamic medical writers display a basic understanding of matters like infectious diseases, the importance of diet, and surgical procedures and their insights are still of use to doctors in the modern world. Centers of excellence in places on the edge of the Muslim empire such as Salerno and Montpellier were islands of knowledge for Europe. The West had lost touch with much of its heritage, and it sank into what is called in the history books “The Dark Ages.” From the seventh century right up until the end of the Middle Ages, Europe and to a lesser extent the Byzantines had to relearn much that had been lost. It is only thanks to the labors of the muslim scholars that they were able to do this. Another reason for the success of the Islamic empire was its world view of curiosity about science, and its ability to delve into the prior philosophical texts of the ancient Greeks. In the west medical care was extremely limited and consisted mostly of helping people to bear their suffering and prepare their souls for something better in heaven. Study of astronomy and mathematics were more advanced in the East. Religious ties were strong, and a firm code of ethics and behaviour kept the Islamic empire unified and able to withstand the Christian crusades. The Islamic empire preserved the best of the old and drove forward new realms of knowledge, which gave them a strategic advantage over all of their neighbours. References Course readings including especially the following: Heather, Peter. “The Huns and the End of the Roman Empire in the Western World.” English Historical Review 110 (1995), pp. 4-41. Santosuosso, Antonio. Storming the Heavens: Soldiers, Emperors, and Civilians in the Roman Empire. Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press, 2003. Tschanz, David W. “The Arab Roots of European Medicine.” Saudi Aramco World May/June 1997, pp. 20-31. Read More