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Byzantine Coins
The Empire of New Rome
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Hagia Sophia mosaic of Constantine offering model of the city to Virgin Mary |
In 313-314 AD Emperor Constantine the Great granted Christians freedom of religious worship, and in 330 AD he consecrated Constantinople as the new capital of the Roman Empire. Situated at the south-eastern edge of the Balkan peninsula with easy access to natural and mineral resources, and at the crossroads of important sea and land routes, Constantinople rewarded the vision of its founder and developed into the international dream-city of Christendom for over a millennium. The empire of New Rome carried the rich Graeco-Roman heritage of classical art and literature, and thus became a bridge between antiquity and the Renaissance.