Which Roman empire, the original 'western' empire or the eastern Byzantine empire...?

Question

do you think achieved the greatest glory and prosperity?

Answer 1

It depends on what you mean by glory - but in terms of prosperity, the clear winner is Byzantium, often called "golden" by depressed, Medieval Europeans.

Let's do a quick comparison:
Duration:
- Western Rome: 4 centuries (as an empire... plus 5 as a Republic, if you're counting that)
- Eastern Rome: 10 centuries (thought the last two or three were pretty pathetic in terms of empire-osity)

Area: not so much of a win for the East

Wealth:
- Western Rome fell in part for lack of funds.
- Eastern Rome was still wealthy at the end, just not strong enough.

Art:
- Western Rome had a very strong realistic sculpture tradition and truly impressive architecture.
- The typical art of Eastern Rome had gold leaf. Need we say more?
[Okay, neither was a great era in terms of artistic invention, save for architecture, so this is not a very strong point.]

Religion:
- Western Rome had the prosecution of the original Christians (late Republic period to early Empire), discrimination against Jews, the expulsion of the Jews from Palestine, etc.
- Eastern Rome had the Council of Nicaea, which united most of the Western Church under a theological orthodoxy. If this is your sort of thing, that was good.

Since we're comparing empires, there's no point really in comparing the lives of their ordinary inhabitants. Both had slavery, a tiny elite ruling selfishly over the vast multitudes of poor workers, and (after the fall of the Republic) no political recourse for people of differing opinion.

Answer 2

The Byzantine Empire. no question approximately it. It replaced right into a right away offshoot of the Roman Empire. The B.E. ruled over the eastern a million/2 of the Roman Empire, and at one time controlled the midsection East as a techniques east as Parthia (Iraq). It lasted properly into the midsection a protracted time, and did no longer fall until the fifteenth century, virtually on the start of the Renaissance. suitable of all, areas of the Byzantine Empire are nonetheless seen in Turkey. The Haga Sophia, now a mosque, replaced into initially designed as a church for the Byzantines. additionally, in case you think of approximately it, Turkish Ottoman Empire sprang up approximately a hundred years until now they took Constantinople, so in a feeling, the Byzantine Empire did no longer fall, it replaced into absorbed right into a larger empire; wherein case, the empire lasted into the 20 th century. confident, that's a stretch, in spite of the incontrovertible fact that that's controversial. The Holy Roman Empire wasn't fairly an empire in any respect, yet a political conceit, designed to place together some variety of stability for the Catholic Church.

Answer 3

Go and visit the cathedrals in the Kremlin in Moscow. Their interiors are completing stunning due to the influence of eastern orthodox iconography. The Russians were converted by Byzantine missionaries.

Imagine what Hagia Sophia (the biggest building in the world for many years) must have been like before the Turks took Constantinople in 1453. Listen to an orthodox liturgy. In terms of spiritual beauty the legacy of Byzantium surpasses Rome.

BTW I am not an orthodox Christian.

Answer 4

The whole empire. Before it was divided into the Eastern and Western Roman Empires - I don't know what you mean by "original Western Empire."

Answer 5

the eastern half.. no questions about it.. bigger richer lasted a 1000 years.. was greek.. what else do you want

Answer 6

The Romans, only because they pillaged and raped the greeks.

Answer 7

Well, they had their own things to be proud of