Trending today
Popular movies
Popular TV
Top rated movies
Trending today
Popular movies
Popular TV
Top rated movies
John Romer recreates the glory and history of Byzantium. From the Hagia Sophia in present-day Istanbul to the looted treasures of the empire now located in St. Marks in Venice.
Jump into any season
First episodes — open an episode to play
E1Building the Dream
45 min
In the opening film of this series on the Byzantine empire, John Romer traces the origins and growth of Byzantium, which under the aegis of Emperor Constantine developed from a small Greek town into a vast empire. The newly named Constantinople soon became a match for Rome. Romer also shows how it rapidly became known as a religious centre and as a cradle of great art and architecture.
E2Heaven on Earth
45 min
John Romer continues his exploration of the Byzantium empire by looking at the creation of Christian art, with the face of Christ and the Virgin Mary first being portrayed. From the Scala Sancta, the oldest chapel of the popes in Rome where an icon is said to be the true face of Jesus to the border fortresses of Roman Syria, never before filmed.
Shows with a similar vibe
Because you viewed this
Envy of the World
45 min
John Romer continues his exploration of the Byzantine empire by tracing the extent of its influence abroad. He shows that the desire of its ruler to spread the word of Christianity was not just evangelical but was also a method of subduing Constantinople's potentially dangerous neighbours. By the Middle Ages, Byzantium's influence had spread throughout Europe, but in 1204 the Venetians persuaded an army of Crusaders to divert from Palestine to Constantinople. The city was decimated, the Crusaders took control and for the next fifty years systematically looted it. In 1260 the Crusaders finally left, taking what loot remained with them, leaving what was a wrecked city.
