Fall of Civilizations Podcast cover image

11. Byzantium - Last of the Romans

Fall of Civilizations Podcast

00:00

Justinian and the Restoration of the Empire

Justinian became emperor after his uncle's death, and he set about the job of ruling with enormous energy. He married a lower class woman named theodora, a courtesan with a lascivious reputation, and this caused great scandal across the empire. The contradictory and contrasting ways that justinian has been portrayed are nowhere better shown than in the writings of the scholar pro pius. Justin spoke latin, but only very simple greek. And he must have been at sea in the hubbub of different languages spoken in constantinople. Like most peasants, he was also illiterate. But he managed to secure a place in the palace guard and rose through the ranks of military

Transcript
Play full episode

The AI-powered Podcast Player

Save insights by tapping your headphones, chat with episodes, discover the best highlights - and more!
App store bannerPlay store banner
Get the app