Justinian I

The Greek world has a troubled past of sports riots, particularly with football hooliganism, but this pervasive history goes back further than one might expect, with one instance nearly leading to the destruction of Constantinople and the overthrow of...

Greek was the predominant language spoken in the Byzantine Empire (Eastern Roman). Despite Romans establishing the empire, Latin was always ranked second. The lands that Alexander the Great dominated during his conquests in Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa...

Belisarius is the much underrated military commander of the Byzantine Empire who led the armies of Justinian I in reclaiming enormous swathes of the former Western Roman Empire from northern Africa to the Italian peninsula. Much of Belisarius' early military...

Under Byzantine (Eastern Roman) rule, the inhabitants of Constantinople faced many threats. The Avars, Sassanids, Slavs, Crusaders, and Ottomans all laid siege to the legendary capital of the Eastern Roman Empire. However, there was one threat lurking in the waters...

The former Basilica of Hagia Sophia in Istanbul (Constantinople) is the undisputed symbolic center of the Greek Orthodox faith, hosting millions of visitors, who are awed by its great religious, historical, and architectural importance, each year. From 537 to 1453,...