A History: Of Byzantium

: Justinian commissioned the Hagia Sophia , a feat of engineering that remained the world’s largest cathedral for nearly a millennium.

: Constantine established a new capital at Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul), strategically located on the Bosphorus to control trade between Europe and Asia.

: Facing a Crisis of the Third Century , Emperor Diocletian divided the Roman Empire into East and West to make it more governable.

The empire’s origins lie in the restructuring of the Roman state.