Byzantine: Did you mean...?

While Christianity was the state religion of the Byzantine Empire, pagan imagery remained popular. Knowledge of classical literature, which often portrayed the lives of pagan gods and heroes, was considered a sign of culture and good education...

The interior of the Byzantine fortress of Petra Justiniana on the Black Sea in modern-day Georgia near Batumi. As the name suggests, it was built by Emperor Justinian I in 535 CE. The interior of the fortress includes the ruins of a Byzantine...

A Byzantine chalice, c. 1070 CE. Made with a semi-precious stone body and gold stem, the cup is decorated with enamel plaques. (Treasury of Saint Mark’s, Venice)

A map of the Byzantine empire c. 626 CE.

The gooseherd: A boy and a girl herding two geese are depicted in this mosaic. Great Palace Mosaic Museum, Istanbul, Turkey. Period: Early Byzantine, circa 6th. century CE. Place: Constantinople, (Modern Istanbul, Turkey). Great Palace Mosaic...

Artist's impression of a discussion between a man and a woman in an ancient Byzantine church. Created by Amplitude Studios for the video game Humankind.

Sarcophagus from the imperial cemetery beside the Church of the Holy Apostles. Material: Marble. Period: Early Byzantine; circa early 5th century CE. Findspot: Sariguzel/Fatih, Istanbul. (Istanbul Archaeological Museums)

Hoop-trundling: Four children are trundling hoops in this mosaic panel. Hoop-trundling was a popular sport and believed to be a healthy activity. Two boys are wearing blue shawls while the other two are wearing green ones, which represents...

The Byzantine single-aisled chapel of Agios Georgios lying over the remains of a Minoan villa at the Hagia Triada archaeological site in southern Crete. The church was built during the Venetian period at the beginning of the 14th century...

This Byzantine marble baluster dates back to the 6th century CE and was found in the neighborhood of Bakırköy, Istanbul, in modern-day Turkey. (Museum of Archaeology, Istanbul, Turley).