沉默之城：君士坦丁堡与公元542年的瘟疫

Justinian IByzantine emperor

Justinian I was a Byzantine emperor who reigned from 527 to 565 CE. Born Petrus Sabbatius to peasant parents in Tauresium, Dardania, he was brought to Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul, Turkey) by his uncle, Emperor Justin I, for education and military training, later adopting the name Justinianus. He became sole emperor after his uncle's death in 527 CE. Justinian I is significant for his profound impact on Constantinople through extensive urban development, including commissioning the construction of the Hagia Sophia (built between 532 and 537 CE) and the Basilica Cistern. His reign also saw the monumental codification of Roman law, known as the "Corpus Juris Civilis," which influenced legal systems for centuries. He promoted trade and experienced the widespread devastation of the Plague of Justinian, which afflicted Constantinople starting in 542 CE.

Romans

The Roman presence in the city now known as Istanbul is fundamental to its identity, beginning with the ancient Greek colony of Byzantium becoming allied with and then part of the Roman Empire. Its significance dramatically escalated when Emperor Constantine I refounded it as Constantinople, or "New Rome," in the 4th century CE. This city then served as the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire, later known as the Byzantine Empire, for over a thousand years, preserving Roman and Hellenistic traditions and shaping much of the city's early urban fabric and cultural significance.

Byzantine Greeks

The term "Byzantine Greeks" refers to the inhabitants of the Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire. These individuals considered themselves "Romans" and their culture integrated the legal and administrative traditions of the Roman Empire with the Greek language and other Greek cultural elements. The empire was largely Greek-speaking and served as the spiritual center of the Orthodox religion. The Byzantine Greeks are profoundly important to Istanbul, as the city, then known as Constantinople, served as their capital for over a thousand years.