What was life like during the byzantine empire?

Question

I want to know as much as possible. What they ate, what they wore, played, everything about them.

Answer 1

Life was very byz - arre

Answer 2

Life In The Byzantine Empire

Answer 3

Well for starters the Byzantine Empire began as the Roman Empire. Constantine founded the city of Byzantium in 11, May 330 A.D. on the site of a former Greek city state and made it his capitol.

Emperor Constantinople made Christianity the state religion eventually leading to the outlawing of Paganism. Over time there will be a Great Schism 1054 AD (East-West Divide) and Orthodoxy will become the major branch of Christianity. Even before this date Latin Church (Rome) and Greek Christendom was in dispute.

In the 6th century the western half of the empire was lost for good and only the Eastern half remained. Greek replaces Latin as the official language.

They had a real love of learning and their two greatest contributions where theology and history. Have you ever seen an Icon well the Byzantines played a huge role in that type of Art.

Tons of info from this site.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A13970621

Here is a museum showing Byzantine culture.

http://www.mbp.gr/html/en/monimi.htm

Here is all about the food, but keep in mind besides Greek many influence factored into the Byzantine diet.

http://greekfood.about.com/od/discovergreekfood/a/food_intro.htm

Answer 4

Get this book from the library.

Marcus Rautman
Book Code: GR2437
ISBN: 0-313-32437-9
ISBN-13: 978-0-313-32437-6
DOI: 10.1336/0313324379
380 pages, maps; photos
Greenwood Press
Publication: 3/30/2006
List Price: $49.95 (UK Sterling Price: £27.95)
Availability: In Stock
Media Type: Hardcover
Trim Size: 6 1/8 x 9 1/4

Answer 5

In Byzantium itself there was a surprisingly high level of literacy. They read a good deal and it was important to keep up on the news and rumors of the day. It was an imperial city and even the average people wanted to be involved in some of the most intricate theological discussions.

Their clothing consisted of loose fitting robes, much like the togas we tend to think of, although they were a good bit more classy than the togas we see that are used to be sexy and alluring today. They also used a fair amount of religious art as jewelry. Dunbarton Oaks museum in Washington DC has a good collection of ear rights, bracelets and belts that have the images of saints on them. Interesting stuff.

Their diet consisted, to a great degree on vegetables, bread and fish. Byzantium or Constantinople is a coastal city so they had ready access to both sea food and also trade from the extent of the Roman Empire. They used olive oil to a great degree and wine was enjoyed more than beer or hard alcohol.

The houses they lived in were mostly made from stone and they were small but warm in the winter and cool in the summer. They bathed and kept themselves clean and also used scents to perfume themselves and some make up to highlight lips and cheeks on women.

All in all, life in Byzantium during the 4th through 14th centuries was a very good life.

Answer 6

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
What was life like during the byzantine empire?
I want to know as much as possible. What they ate, what they wore, played, everything about them.

Answer 7

Rather a long time - 476-1453
Rather a large area: Greece, Thrace, Anatolia; earlier, Syria, Egypt, Mesopotamia, Libya, Carthage, Sicily, Southern Italy, even southern Spain!
Could you be more specific?