Late Antiquity and Early Christianity and Byzantine Empire- notes

• This time period is the end of the Roman empire
• Commodus was a terrible emperor 
• For a short time, the empire kept going by Septimius Severus
• First African emperor
• Caracalla was Severus's son and was assassinated
• Time after was considered "The Crisis of the Third Century" or "The Age of the Soldier Emperor"
• because for the next several years, try to take over Rome by themselves
• Dark time in Rome's history
• Diocletian in 284 becomes emperor and changes Rome
• Since Augustus to 284- Rome was based on principles
• Diocletian changed Rome into a Dominate- one person who decides everything.
• Sets up the Tetarchy- "rule of four"
• Wars breaks out between the tetrarchs- Maxentius and Constantine
• Battle of Milvian Bridge
• Constantine wins the battle
• Constantine looks up in sky and says he saw a vision of the Cairo 
• Made soldiers paint symbol on shields
• Made Christianity legal in Rome
• Constantine’s victory gave him total control of the western Roman Empire, paving the way for Christianity as the dominant religion for the Roman Empire and ultimately for Europe
• Constantinople becomes the seat of the Byzantine empire (era of soldiers emperors, rise of Constantine)
• City of Rome falls in 476
• Some historians say that the Roman empire was over
• Jesus is shown holding a sheep
• Christianity was illegal until Constantine
• If you know the code, you can translate early Christian images.
• Under the city of Rome there were caves called Catacombs used as places of burial
• Led by Justinian
• The church is strong and the Army is strong; Justinian has both
• If you want to be a ruler, you have to have the Church and military on your side
• Constantinople becomes the seat of the Byzantine empire
• Leave initial mosaics and paintings in Hagia Sophia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Mosaic-1041.jpg