The Fall of Rome, the Silk Roads, and Changes in Afro-Eurasia

Flashcards covering the fall of Rome, the Byzantine Empire, and the Silk Roads as discussed in the provided lecture notes.

Constantinople

The city of Byzantium was renamed Constantinople in 330 CE by Roman Emperor Constantine I after he moved the Roman Empire's capital there.

Byzantine Empire

The Eastern Roman Empire, centered in Constantinople, which continued after the Western Roman Empire's collapse and was heavily influenced by Greek culture and language.

Rhomaioi

The term Byzantines used to refer to themselves, meaning 'Romans,' as they considered themselves inheritors of the Roman tradition.

Goths

A group from the frontiers of the Roman Empire who were initially invited as soldiers but later mistreated, leading to conflicts like the Battle of Adrianople.

Battle of Adrianople (378 CE)

A battle where Gothic cavalry overwhelmed the Roman army, marking a significant event in the decline of the Western Roman Empire.

Huns

A group led by King Attila who extracted tribute from Roman emperors and whose empire disintegration coincided with the disintegration of the Roman Empire.

Attila

The leader of the Huns (406–453 CE) who fashioned the first opposing empire that Rome had ever faced in northern Europe and extracted tribute of gold from Roman emperors

Romulus Augustulus

The last Roman emperor who resigned to make way for a 'barbarian king' in Italy, symbolizing the fall of the Western Roman Empire.

Catholic Church

The institution that provided a sense of unity after the decline of the Roman Empire, with the bishop of Rome as the symbolic head.

Justinian

Emperor of the Byzantine Empire in 527 CE who reformed Roman laws, creating the Digest and Institutes.

Hagia Sophia

Also known as Holy Wisdom, was a magnificent structure showcasing the power of the church and state in the Byzantine Empire.

Bubonic Plague (531–542 CE)

A devastating plague that killed one-third of Constantinople's population within weeks, impacting the Byzantine Empire.

Silk Roads

Networks that facilitated the exchange of ideas and religions like Buddhism, Christianity, and Vedic religion across Afro-Eurasia.

Sasanian Persia

An empire (224-651 CE) located in modern Iran to Mesopotamia, known for its cultural crossroads and tolerance of different religions, including Zoroastrianism, Christianity, and Judaism.

Khusro I Anoshirwan

Sasanian ruler and Justinian’s rival who sought to be the image as the ideal monarch in the east

Ctesiphon

The capital of Sasanian Persia, located near modern Baghdad, between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers.

Sogdians

Peoples who were the lords of the Silk Roads, linking Afro-Eurasia through oasis cities and using the Sogdian language as a lingua franca.

Bamiyan Buddhas

Large statues of the Buddha located in the Hindu Kush valley, demonstrating the spread of Buddhism on the Silk Roads.

Yungang Buddhas

Example of Buddhist art in China, reflecting the spread of Buddhism along the Silk Roads.