Red Greece - Who were the byzantine people? greek?roman?

Who were the byzantine people? greek?roman?

Who were the byzantine people? greek?roman? what religion where they and where did they come from plz answer i want to know cause i dont. Where the byzantines another name for greek and was the modern day museum saint sophia a former greek church and was constantinople a greek city

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Byzantine_Empire
they were based in italy with roman influence they were around after the fall of the Roman empire however if you think about it a large amount of the Roman Culture and influence comes From Ancient Greece. including government architecture. food and many other things..
Put simply, the Byzantines were basically just Christian Romans. After Emperor Constantine shifted the capital of the Roman Empire to Constantinople (in Turkey) much of the Western Roman Empire succumbed to the invasion by the vicious Barbarian tribes. While Rome struggled against the invaders, Constantinople grew rich and prosperous from the trade routes it controlled. Once the "real" Rome had fallen, the Byzantine empire became a very powerful player in the Ancient World. At its peak, it would progressively reclaim some of the land it had lost to the Barbarian invaders. Eventually, however, the Byzantine Empire would fall at the hands of the Ottoman Empire in 1453. Today, there are still small remnants of the Byzantines. Perhaps the most notable is the Catholic Church, which continues to practise some age-old Byzantine traditions.
The Byzantine were Greek with Roman influences. They became Christians because of Rome and they made some changes to the religion and now it is called Greek Orthodox.
At the end of the Roman Empire in 476 A.D. The remainder of the Romans then based in Constantinople (Named for the Emperor Constantine and previously known as Byzantium to the Greeks and Romans) changed the name of the Empire to the Byzantine Empire. The Museum "Saint Sophia" was a church known as Hagia Sophia built during the late Roman Empire. The east had already collapsed at the time of its building and the Catholic church was becoming a fast growing power in Europe at the time. Constantinople is now known as Istanbul which is the capitol of Turkey. The Byzantine Empire was conquered by the Ottoman Turks hence the name of the country that uses the city as its capitol now. The Religion the Byzantines followed was Christianity although asside from a few mosaics in that Islamic Region, you cant really tell.
The Byzantine empire was a continuation of the Roman empire after about AD 520. There had been an Eastern Roman empire at Constantinople and a western Roman empire with capitals at Milan and Ravenna. The Byzantine peoples themselves were varied. In Greece, they were Greeks from ancient times. Only later did Bulgarians, Albanians, and Slavs migrate into Greece. In Anatolia, which is modern Turkey, then also a part of the Byzantine empire, the people were indigenous until an invasion of Seljuk turks about 1074. The Mongols invaded Turkey and the Middle East about 1265. A leader named Osman reorganized the Turks into what was later the Ottoman empire, named after him. After about 640, Arabs conquered the Middle East, Egypt, and North Africa. In short, the Byzantines were people who had always lived there. It is exciting to read history books in which Arabs, Turks, Slavs, Bulgarians, and Albanians sweep into a country and flood it with their people. But the truth is that the people who lived there since before the Roman empire numbered in the millions. The invading peoples were a few hundred thousand each. In 1054, there was the Great Schism between what we call Roman Catholicism and Greek Orthodoxy. The Roman Cardinal Humbert laid a ban of excommunication of the Patriarch of Constantinople on the high altar of the cathedral of Hagia Sophia. The churches have been separate since then. The Greek Orthodox church converted Russia, Bulgaria, Serbia, and other Slavic countries to Christianity. In order to convert the Russians, the Greek Orthodox bishop Cyril, about AD 950, developed the Cyrillic alphabet in order to translate the Bible into Russian. That is why Russian printing looks as it does. Byzantine comes from Byzantium, which was a small town on the Bosphorus opposite modern day Constantinople. Modern historians apply the name Byzantine to the Eastern Romaqn empire as it evolved into a separate state.
The Byzantine people were the inhabitants of East half of Rome Hellenized during conquest of Alexander the Great. That is why the foundations of Byzantium were laid already in the end of 4th B C with Alexander’s campaigns and with the following Hellenization of those lands which were then reaching quite farther up to Central Asia, Iran and West India. Those lands were also then related ethnically to their Balkan conquerors as numerous soldier and military or civil settlements were establishing from Balkan emigrants into those Eastern lands. The plans of Alexander himself were including conquest of the whole Mediterranean with Carthagene and Rome there included. His death under quite mysterious circumstances (most probably he’s poisoned) is putting end to those plans and conquests and his army generals are starting exhausting their Hellenist states with constant exterior and interior struggles for contesting legacy of great king. Parthian state until establishment of Sassanids in 224 A D can be considered last Hellenist state in the Old World. The Byzantine people should be defined as Hellenist and also as East-Roman as they were representing the East half of Rome and of one Greek-Roman culture based on Hellenist one, as known East provinces of Rome were keeping as official their Hellenist culture and tradition and Greek language as official. Thus Byzantium would be the East Hellenist and more ancient part of Rome and its empire – whose emperors were dreaming the exploits of Alexander. That Hellenist part and territory – before much larger was limited now in east from Parthian-Persian borders. It is generally agreed that beginning of Byzantium and Byzantine era was the transferring of the Roman capital from Rome to Constantinople in 330 (date accepted also for Byzantines themselves), though already with beginning of the Dominate – the veritable Roman imperial period the Roman emperors starting with Diocletian were attracted from the rich, developed and prosperous East provinces keeping their monarchic traditions – as also all the Roman emperors were aspiring to the East Hellenist absolutist monarchic state model. Since Diocletian the residence of the principal August – principal and true emperor (from four co-rulers of the Tetrarchy) of Rome was moved to the Anatolian Nicomedia (much close to Byzantium, future Constantinople – other side of Strait). Byzantium with its capital Constantinople called also “New Rome” or “Second Rome” when succeeding Rome as capital of the empire in 330 was becoming with separation of empire (in 395) the East Roman empire which was becoming the only rightful successor of Rome and its empire after 476 when Herulian king Odoacer (soon he’s replaced in Italy from East Goths of Theodorich sent there from Roman emperor Zenon) was putting end to the short-living West Rome and its decadent emperors (hiding in the swamps of Milan and Ravenna) and sending the imperial insignias to the emperor in Constantinople. The German kingdoms on the West Roman territories were recognizing the suzerainty of the Byzantine emperor. The religion of Byzantium for the 1123 years of its existence was the Christian Orthodox religion finally separating (after having few more minor schisms) from Catholicism in 1054 when pope and Constantinople patriarch were mutually excommunicating each other. Since 6th Monophysitist supporters (for Monophystists Jesus was having only one nature – Divine one, and not both Human and Divine) were establishing on patriarchal seats in the Orient – in Alexandria, Antioch, Jerusalem, Armenia, Georgia and were so establishing the separatist ideological and political tendencies which were later facilitating Arab conquest of most of Byzantium from Arabs. The ethnical belonging of the Byzantines in 395 – date of final separation of the West Rome from Byzantium (West Roman empire was surviving for only 7 decennia more, though Italy and Rome were re-conquered since 536 from Byzantines against their Barbarian invaders, city of Rome was kept for more than 2 centuries and the South Italy until 11th) was actually quite complex – the Greeks in Hellas, Paeonians, Illyrians, Thracians, then also Turks and Slavonics in the North Balkans, Hittites-Luwians and Celtics in Anatolia, Caucasians and Armenians easterner, different Semitics in rest of Orient. They were all united from one Hellenist culture, tradition and identity of great Byzantium and from Orthodox religion establishing in middle of 1st millennium A D. Constantinople was indeed a Greek city established as Megarian colony called Byzantium in the 7th B C on the entrance of the Bosphore. The city was turned into capital of Rome from Constantine the great – a Balkanic from origin from the dynasty of Illyrian emperors (in 268-602). To Constantinople was transferred the old Roman nobility and aristocracy or elite with Senate representing all lands and provinces of the empire, but the newly re-built capital was having a population coming mostly from East Hellenist Roman provinces. The Cathedral of Saint God’s Pre-Wisdom was indeed a Byzantine Church built under the great Justinian. Identifying Byzantines with Greeks like said would be quite wrong, but for sure Hellas with Balkans and Anatolia were from beginning representing core of the imperial culture, policy and directions which like said were based on Hellenism, its culture, tradition and directions and Orthodoxy – with imperial Constantinople – the great capital, biggest and greatest city of Europe as center for the great empire and all its lands. Can be considered indeed that today Greece is representing the principal successor of former Byzantium and its empire, as representing the principal source, development and establishment of Hellenist culture and having now the principal inheritance from great Byzance – of Orthodoxy and Hellenism, of their culture, tradition and directions. The name of “Byzantine” empire and of Byzantines was never used from Byzantines themselves which were known always for themselves as “Romans” – in Greek language “Romaioi” (only in last imperial period of greatest decadence an appellation of “Hellenes” was appearing when empire was limited to few Hellenic territories on Balkans). For West Byzantines were known often as “Greeks” because them speaking the Greek language. Appellation of “Byzantine” and of “Byzantines” was making its appearance in Italy during Renaissance for naming the already disappeared empire which was called that way from the name of Constantinople – former Byzantium (following same logic like calling Roman empire from name of its capital). That is how the name was appearing and spreading for being kept for Europeans until now. Byzantine empire was existing for those 1123 years, losing its capital for 57 years to the Catholic Crusaders, with Constantinople – Greek Byzantium always staying its principal basis, power, center, development and stronghold. When Constantine establishing his new capital in the Greek Constantinople the Greeks were already from many centuries peopling coasts of Aegean, Marmora and Straits – Constantinople was and staying Greek and Hellenist city.