Influence of Byzantine Empire
Known for being the most powerful society of its time, the Byzantine Empire enjoyed a period of prosperity and progression. The Byzantines outlasted its predecessor, the Roman Empire, and managed to survive for about a thousand years, thus influencing neighboring states and even the modern world. Validating this claim, influences of the Byzantine Empire are present in the spread of Christianity and modern day Mediterranean cuisine.
Being a minor faith in the Roman Empire, Christianity has flooded to the various regions of the world, and now has become a dominating religion with 2.2 billion adherents (Harper, J 2012). This was made possible because Constantine, the father of the Byzantine Empire, encouraged the practice of Christianity. Although this may not appeal to atheists and non-Christian believers, Christianity has positively impacted modern society. For instance in Greco-Roman cultures, it was found common to have abortions and to kill infants. However both activities were stopped by early Christian literatures and the Bishop Basil of Caesarea (Shirley, 2013). From this point, such doings became more heavily associated with negative connotations, thus a possible reason why abortions and infanticides are frowned upon in modern society. Although Christianity has been blamed for causing chaos and division amongst people, its achievements should not be overlooked at. Today, “The Church is the largest single provider of healthcare and education in the world, working especially in some of the poorest countries where there is no other care available” (Wikipedia, 2013). This is especially important for third-world countries where people are suffering from common colds. Moreover, the church promoted social work which has helped several individuals better their lives, and one of the most famous social workers was Jane Addams, the first American woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. However without Constantine’s support, all of these benefits might have not existed, or they could have surfaced in a different manner.
Modern Mediterranean foods portray the influence of the Byzantine cuisine. Many of the current staples of the Mediterranean diet are common to that of the Byzantium. For instance the Byzantines consumed an abundance of cheese, olive oil, nuts, bread, and cured fish and meat (Theodoros, 2013). Also many Greek salads today are composed of feta cheese and oil olive based vinaigrettes which were common ingredients in the Byzantine diet. Often times, bakeries in Byzantium would produce eighty thousand loaves per day, a reason why Mediterranean foods include an a lot of bread. Because bread was such an important staple, its importance has been carried out today. Pita bread, one of the most widely consumed breads in the Mediterranean cuisine, is eaten and served with most meals (Med, 2013). Since sugar was not widely available in the Byzantine, people savored honey as it was a good sweetening ingredient (Theodoros, 2013). For this reason, many modern Greek desserts utilize honey. Thus the influence of the Byzantine empire is still prevalent today, and its traditional foods has helped shape current Mediterranean foods.
Founded by Constantine, the Byzantines long lasted empire has impacted the modern world. Because the empire was able to survive and not be conquered for a thousand years, their values and thoughts should not be disregarded. Without the success of the Byzantine Empire, Christianity might of not become a common household religion, and the Mediterranean diet could have been altered from what it is known for today.
Citations
Harper, J. (December 23, 2012,). 84 percent of the world population has faith.
Retrieved from
Med. (2013). Pita bread recipe. Retrieved from http://www.dedemed.com/mediterranean/pita-bread-recipe
Shirley. (2013). What has Christianity done for the World? Retrieved from
Theodoros. (April 20, 2013). 10 Interesting Facts about the Byzantine Empire. Retrieved from http://listverse.com/2013/04/20/10-interesting-facts-about-the-byzantine-empire/
Wikipedia. (2013). Role of the Catholic Church in Western civilization. Retrieved from
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