The Armenians in the Byzantine Empire by P. Charanis

The Armenians in the Byzantine Empire

by Peter Charanis, Phd
Introduction by Sirarpie Der Nercessian

The Byzantine Empire was, of course, the continuation of the Roman Empire. The loss of the western provinces and the elimination of the Imperial title in the West in 476 restricted the actual geographical extent of the Roman Empire to the East, including the Balkan peninsula. Here, with the exception of the far interior of the Balkan peninsula, Hellenism had long since come to prevail as the dominant cultural element. But important features of the civilization of the Empire remained basically Roman. This was especially true of its legal system, its administrative machinery, and the organization of the army. A feature also of the Roman Empire which remained as such after the loss of the western provinces was its multinational character. Later, in the seventh century, when the Empire lost some of its eastern provinces, notably Egypt, Palestine, Syria and Armenia, it assumed an aspect more Greek than ever before, but it never really lost to the end of its long history as a great power its multinational character. Its civilization was, of course, basically Greek, and the Greek-speaking element among its population no doubt predominated. But this population included a variety of peoples and some of these peoples were very important.

The following pages are given to an examination of the role in the history of the Empire of one of these peoples: the Armenians. The work was first published in Byzantinoslavica, volume 22 (1961). With some revisions, and thanks to the generosity of the Fundacao Calouste Gulbenkian of Lisbon, Portugal, it now appears in book form. The bibliography which is added at the end consists of references actually used in the composition of the work. It was compiled by my student, Dean Miller.

Peter Charanis
Rutgers University
New Brunswick, N. J.

Language: English
ISBN:
Paperback, 63 pages,

by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation Armenian Library (Lisbon, 1963).

Book Condition: New
Publisher: Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian, 1963