Grade 6 Spring — The Classical World and Late Antiquity to ~500 CE: Late Rome and Byzantium, Han China, Mauryan and Gupta India, Sasanian Persia, Aksum and Early Ghana, Classical Maya and Teotihuacan — Whose 'Fall'? Whose Golden Age? Whose Living Descendants?
History · CUL
G6
hist.g6.s.cul.byzantine_continuation_justinian_theodora
Analyze the Byzantine Empire as Eastern Roman continuation (NOT 'Greek successor') — Justinian I (r. 527-565 CE), Theodora (c. 500-548 CE), Justinian's Code (Corpus Juris Civilis 529-534 CE), and Hagia Sophia (completed 537 CE) — per Judith Herrin and Anthony Kaldellis scholarship
Analyze the Eastern Roman / Byzantine Empire as Rome's continuation (per Anthony Kaldellis 2015 — Byzantium called itself 'Romania' and its inhabitants 'Romaioi' / Romans throughout); analyze Justinian's reign — codification of Roman law in Corpus Juris Civilis (Institutes + Digest + Codex + Novellae), construction of Hagia Sophia 537 CE as Justinianic architectural-imperial statement, attempted reconquest of the Western provinces (Vandal Africa 533-534 CE, Ostrogothic Italy 535-554 CE), Empress Theodora's political agency including her role in the Nika riots 532 CE per Procopius.
Mastery threshold
90%
Min instances
12
Typical minutes
45
Spaced intervals (days)
1, 3, 7, 14, 30, 60
Successors
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hist.g7.f.cul.byzantine_islamic_golden_age
(not yet loaded)
Common misconceptions
- Calling the Eastern Roman Empire 'Byzantine' as if it were a new polity — the inhabitants called themselves Romans for the next 1,000 years
- Treating Justinian as 'medieval' rather than as a Late Antique Roman emperor — the Late Antiquity period (200-700 CE per Peter Brown) spans both
- Confusing Hagia Sophia's history (Justinian-Byzantine church → 1453 Ottoman conquest mosque → 1934-2020 museum → 2020 mosque) and missing its layered living-heritage status today in Istanbul