Temple of the King Trivia Quiz

Answer:

Constantinople (Greek for "city of Constantine") was built by the Roman Emperor Constantine I on the site of the Greek city of Byzantium. Constantine was impressed by the strategic position, which was close to the most precarious frontiers of his empire, the Lower Danube and Mesopotamia. He was not the first to be so impressed, given that, centuries before the birth of Christ, the Persian general Megabazus had also commented on Byzantium's location and its advantages.

Justinian reigned from AD 527 to AD 565. Wanting to be a Roman emperor with undisputable credentials of Romanness, he strove to restore Mediterranean unity, what the Romans had called "mare nostrum", meaning "our sea" in Latin. In the process, he fought against the post-Roman kingdoms in the Western Mediterranean, with the lengthy war in Italy absorbing much energy, manpower and funds. Yet, Justinian also strove to contain the Persian threat in Mesopotamia and the Caucasus and to build defensive fortifications in the Balkan Peninsula. On top of that, he wished for religious buildings to dot the landscape of every city and countryside district.

Tralleis and Miletus had been founded by the Greeks in Asia Minor centuries before the birth of Christ. It is interesting that both architects were connected with the philosophical school of Neoplatonism, with the city of Tralleis being described in sixth-century historical works (mostly in the "Histories" of Agathias, who was from Asia Minor himself) as a hotbed of Paganism. Moreover, the urban prefect who oversaw the building, Phokas, was later accused of Pagan sympathies. Therefore, and taking into account that the first description of Hagia Sophia described her as a "temenos" (which means "sacred precinct" in Greek and had Pagan connotations in the sixth century), it is possible and very interesting to say that the masterminds behind Hagia Sophia viewed her as an opus combining both the classical and the Christian aspects of Hellenic tradition.

The consecration of Hagia Sophia was celebrated in a manner atypical of Christianity, id est with animal sacrifices. Justinian's remarks concerning his victory over Solomon, the builder of the Temple in the Hebrew Bible, may be apocryphal, but encapsulate the spirit of the occasion.

The earthquake of 558 and the subsequent Kutrigur incursion was a depressive event for the Byzantine Balkans. But, the invaders were repelled (utilizing stratagems that would remind the careful reader of the tactics used by the ancient Greeks against the Persian invaders) and the church was repaired. The new dome and the other additions to Hagia Sophia were described in a fascinating poem by Paul the Silentiary (silentiaries were responsible for maintaining silence in the throne room before auditions). The columns from Heliopolis were of the Corinthian type. In the ancient and medieval world, when a sacred relic was transported, its magical powers also travelled with it.

Heraclius reigned from AD 610 to AD 641. His reign was beset with difficult wars, against first the Sassanian Persians and their Avar allies and later against the Muslim Arabs. Although the Emperor defeated the first pair of enemies, the Arabs were able to capture substantial amounts of Byzantine territory, destroying the grand project of Mediterranean unity and dividing the basin in two opposite camps, Christian and Islamic.

The siege of Constantinople in 626 AD was an event of utmost importance and threatened to put an end to the very existence of Byzantium. Yet, the City persisted and the invaders were ultimately repelled. It is said that the population, gathered inside Hagia Sophia for protection, started to compose, verse after verse, stanza after stanza, the famed Akathist (Greek for "non-sitting") Hymn, expressing their hope for deliverance.

Prince Volodymyr, son of Prince Svyatoslav, reigned in Kyiv (the capital of the medieval Kyivan state and of modern Ukraine) from around AD 980 to AD 1018. Already his grandmother, Olha, had been baptized in Constantinople with the Emperor Constantine VII as her sponsor, so Volodymyr's baptism was not the beginning of Christianization in Ukraine, but rather the culmination of the process. The story of the choice of religion might be a wandering motif, given that we find many similar tales involving other medieval people, but, at the same time, it is a trustworthy indication of the prestige and awe which Byzantine Christianity instilled in others.

Kyivan bookmen called Byzantium "Greek land" (Hretska zemlia), because of its Greek language and culture (the term is also to be found in Scandinavian sagas in the form "Grikkaland"). The Primary Chronicle was composed around 1113, most likely by a monk named Nestor.