Posted on 09/08/2009 7:58:51 AM PDT by Nikas777
The text of the film “The fall of an empire—the Lesson of Byzantium”
Archimandrite Tikhon (Shevkunov)
Russian winter landscape. A church. A snowstorm.
Narrator. Hello. In 1453, the Byzantine Empire fell. Let us now take a look at how this happened.
Islamic chant weaves into the gusts of freezing wind.
Instanbul. The muezzin continues his prayer, amplified by a loudspeaker. The noise of a market place in a Middle Eastern city. Turkish conversation.
Narrator. This city was once called Constantinople; six centuries ago it was the capital city of what was without exaggeration one of the greatest civilizations in world history—the Byzantine Empire.
A rule by law, something we now take for granted, was created here, based upon the Roman codes, in Byzantium, 1500 years ago. A legal system which was to become the basic foundation of all types of laws in most modern governments was the monumental creation of Byzantine jurisprudence during the reign of Emperor Justinian. The system of elementary and higher education first developed in Byzantium; it was here, in the fifth century, that the first university appeared. The most stable financial system in the history of mankind was created in Byzantium, and existed in a nearly unaltered form for over one thousand years. Modern diplomacy with its basic principles, rules of conduct, and etiquette was created and refined here, in Byzantium. Byzantine engineering and architectural arts were unrivalled. Even today, such famous works by Byzantine masters as the domes of the Hagia Sophia amaze the world with their technological perfection.
No other empire in human history lasted as long as Byzantium. It existed for 1,123 years.
(Excerpt) Read more at vizantia.info ...
English text of the documentary produced in Russia which many western Russia watchers says underpins Putin’s world view.
Maybe we should call Chicago Pissantium!
A study of the Eastern roman empire ( the Greek empire) is worthwhile and fascinating and it is not taught in our schools to our detriment.
Rome lasted about 600 years. the Greek empire lasted 1123 plus the 400 years in the Rioman empire. Much to learn here that has impacted our culture.
We tend to forget that before Byzantium fell to what became the Ottoman Turks, it had been badly hurt in many conflicts with Western Christian military. It was probably already doomed as the Ottomans conquered both Asia Minor and the Balkans before the final fall and thus cut-off from land-based support. Western Christianity later paid a heavy price in the Ottoman’s attacks that reached the gates of Vienna several times.
Ping for later
The Tsars of Russia considered themselves the rulers of the 3rd Rome, Byzantium being the 2nd. Not surprising that Putin wants to wrap himself in that reflected glory, it (Tsarist rule) did last 500 years or so and is deep into the Russian Culture.
That is the real start of the decline of Islam - they lived for centuries off being the middle men in trade between the east and the west.
The Byzantines were able to deal with trade direct to China for a time via their Jewish allies, the Khazars - and in a famous episode of Byzantine craftiness the Byzantines smuggled silk worms out of China making them the sole source outside of China for the stuff.
Islam declined the way it did because the Europeans bypassed them and they could no longer tax the trade between the east and west. The Muslims never recovered from their victory.
This is my opinion only and it is sort of worth pondering that for the Muslim world, capturing Constantinople probably destroyed Islam in the long run.
I agree. That is why I think this documentary - made by Putin’s spiritual advisor (rumored to have converted Putin during the 80s if converted is the right word) is important because many confuse Putin’s agenda with that of a Soviet one but this documentary argues for a Russian isolationist agenda.
Really good observation. It is also noteworthy that after 1453 Western Europe started serious efforts to discover other routes to China and India. The resulting discoveries brought immense wealth into the west and it was from that point that Europe began to outstrip the rest of the world in power and influence. It is only since the advent of oil as a major source of wealth that (some of) the Islamic nations have emerged as influential in world politics.
Yes, but that can't make the engines that use the oil and gas and that may be ending soon anyway (soon in terms of how history views time - we may be long gone before then).
But just like how Western Europeans bypassed the Muslims to trade directly with the east ended Islamic dominance the end of petroleum will also make the Muslim nations economic base crash. Meaning all they will have to offer the world after that happens is trade in dried dates and spices as was the case just a century or so ago.
One more point - your comments got me thinking more than I normally do - China had put to sea a generation before Columbus did - and could easily have discovered America (some claim it did do just that) but the Chinese did not really care to do so because the whole world went to them for trade anyway - why spend time, treasure and effort to go to the barbarians (as they called all non-Chinese) when the barbarians came to them? So the Chinese atrophied while the Europeans - by necessity - explored and innovated.
bump
It is very strange that so many in the Islamic culture seem to have little or no interest in technology or developement. With all the wealth some of them have they could establish production facilities for just about any major industry they wanted. But they don’t. Instead they build indoor ski resorts and palm-shaped islands for luxury homes. Why not entice a Toyota plant or two? Or maybe get Sanyo or Sony to build some factories? Or how about establilshing some top-flight technical schools? Surely they could entice highly qualified instructors to spend a few years getting their own people up to speed then take over the task themselves. Or have they done this and I simply ignorant of the fact?
I always wondered since the Islamic technological achievements were based on what earlier Greek and Romans and Hindus achieved in the the areas the Muslims ruled if there was a direct correlation between the decline in population of Greek and Armenian and other Christian peoples (and Jews and Hindu/Indians) in the Muslim world and the decline in Islamic technology and learning.
In other words - the Muslims were supported by the more advance non Muslim native peoples they ruled over and over time as those people were persecuted out of existence the Muslims lost that knowledge base.
You forgot Malaysia, as they have a growing manufacturing sector (in terms of goods produced, not jobs), particularly in electronics.
Part of that same world - Indonesia and Malaysia. I also view Malaysia as sort of mixed Hindu Muslim dynamic like India is. I mean India has one of the largest Muslim populations on earth but it is not an Islamic nation. Malaysia is slipping from that mix to a more Muslim dominated culture which is not good.
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