A brief history of the Byzantine Empire with a focus on the walls and the Hagia Sophia.

1. Byzantium Becomes the New Rome

3. The Western empire was falling, what with all the invasions and such. After Constantine moved the capital to Byzantium, the center of Roman power shifted there.

6. Starts off with the Eastern Empire and then by the end of his reign had conquered the orange parts.

31. Note the large medallions with Arabic writing.

50. Four bronze horses the Crusaders took from Constantinople’s Hippodrome as plunder. They now reside in Venice. The collars hide the marks where the Venetians cut off the heads in order to fit them on their boats.