The Punic Wars

[jby]

I disagree. Yes, Byzantium was a greek speaking empire, but ideologically and culturally it was essentially roman.
At the time of the punic wars, Byzantium was a village and there was no expanding greek empire worth mentioning, just (allied) city states.

 

[Cargol]

there was no expanding greek empire worth mentioning, just (allied) city states.

Ptoleamaic Kingdom,Seleucid Kingdom,Macedonian Kingdom under Kasandros,Lychimachos Kingdom.
All of them bigger than Rome almost till the end of Punic wars.

 

[Cargol]

At the time of the punic wars, Byzantium was a village

At 340 BC Philipp II the Macedon besieged and failed to capture Byzantium which by no means was a village at the time.
Macedonian army few years later under Alexander the Great conquered Persia.

 

[Cargol]

I disagree. Yes, Byzantium was a greek speaking empire, but ideologically and culturally it was essentially roman.

Well, Byzantine Empire had different language than the Roman (Greek) different religion (Christianity) different reqruiting system for its army,different army tactics,Byzantine art was different than Roman its geographical core was different than Roman's Empire and so on.
So please tell me which characteristics of the Byzantine Empire makes you say that Byzantine Empire was Roman?

 

[jby]

Fair enough, not a village then, but the historical trajectory is: decision to split the empire... roman infighting... this would be a cool place to tear down and build a new capital

 

[jby]

For one they referred to themselves as Romans, the "turkish" invaders called them romans, it was roman when Rome itself wasn´t "roman" any more.
characteristics: Emporer , senate, the importance of circus games come to mind

JJ Norwich refers to pre Constantinople-Byzantium as a modest settlement

Of coure the byzantine empire changed over time and became less like the original roman empire, but it´s obvious to me that the designation as the second rome is the starting point of it´s greatness.

 

[Cargol]

For one they referred to themselves as Romans, the "turkish" invaders called them romans, it was roman when Rome itself wasn´t "roman" any more.
characteristics: Emporer , senate, the importance of circus games come to mind

Indeed they were calling themselves Romans, as Byzantines were concidering themselves as the succesors of the Roman Empire and by this the could claim whatever land or property bleonged to the earlier Roman Empire.
What about Holly Roman Empire?Was it Roman because it had the Roman in it?

 

[Cargol]

JJ Norwich refers to pre Constantinople-Byzantium as a modest settlement

Indeed Byzantium couldnt in any way compare with Constantinople but wasnt a village as its position was too strategic to be ignored.