eastern roman byzantium

[redmanPH]

sorry but i just like to clear somethin up, weren't they called the byzantines already round this era? im prolly (surely) wrong since u guys are the history buffs, so let me rephrase: when did they start calling themselves byzantines then?

[Tail End Charlie]

The "Byzantines" never called themselves that, they were the Romans or Romanoi. Although about century or two after the games starts they did start calling themselves Hellenoi due to the decline of the Empire. Byzantines is a historical phrase of convience due the fact that the term Roman empire is too wider spread of history and its less of a mouthfull than Constantinopolitan Empire.

Now the mod's will come kill this thread, after everyones had their " how ignorant/stupid are you rant"

This is happening way too much during the last few days...

[Taneda Santôka]

Now the mod's will come kill this thread, after everyones had their " how ignorant/stupid are you rant"

This is happening way too much during the last few days...

I guess you've just done it again then! Giving a gentle answer would have done good, but that comment helps nobody and just does what you thought it would prevent, hence redmanPH's reply.

Isnt that just the purpose of a forum? Asking a question, having an answer and starting a discussion? Why should a moderator close this? Only because you know the answer? :hmmm:


Hey! redmanPH! Come back! We like you! (who's that chick in your avatar?? )

[General A. Skywalker]

Although about century or two after the games starts they did start calling themselves Hellenoi due to the decline of the Empire.

Is that relly the case? As far as I know they called themselves Romaioi to the very end and when talking of Hellenoi they always meant the ancient pre-Christian Greeks. Didn't the Greeks call themselves Romaioi till the 19th century?

Byzantines is a historical phrase of convience due the fact that the term Roman empire is too wider spread of history and its less of a mouthfull than Constantinopolitan Empire.

As far as I know the term came up in the 18th or 19th century. Before that the Western Christians used to call it "Greek Empire" sometimes even "Greek Kingdom". The reason for that is quite simple: As the late Roman Empire had been (from medieval Christian point of view) the Empire of Christianity, almost every medieval Christian power was interested in being in some way the successor of the Roman Empire. (Best example: the name "Holy Roman Empire of German Nation", which was not "Roman" at all.)
From Catholic point of view it couldn't be legitimate that the "disbelieving" orthodox Christians (Romaioi) called themselves "Romans". That's why they preferred other terms like "Greeks" and later "Byzantines". The muslim powers simply called them "Romans", just like the Romaioi themselves.

[redmanPH]

geez, sorry.

i didn't mean it to be ignorant or stupid. like i said, i'm not like most of u guys on this forum that know his/her history, i'm just asking why it's that way, no harm done. well sorry if you think i didn't use the search function cuz i definitely did and found nothing on this. sorry if, unlike you, i'm too ignorant/stupid for your liking. i just thought people here were of the more patient bunch, not the condescending type of people

[neoptolemos]

The term "Byzantine" was used only by citizens of Constantinople to name(one of the many manes)sometimes their city(Byzantium-Βυζάντιο-an ancient Greek colony which it's place had been taken by the New Rome)


But as correctly the previous posters have posted is a term with no historical base to call the "Basileia Ton Romaion-Kingdoms of the romans" because that's the way they called themselves-Romaioi-Romans

[Strelac]

As described by other, term 'byz' is modern term used to describe this particular region and time period.
Team choice was ERE for the first release.