Question

In one or two paragraphs, respond to this prompt:

How did Byzantine culture influence Europe?

Include at least two pieces of evidence from the documents to support your claims.

Answer 1

Byzantine culture shaped medieval and early modern Europe by preserving and transmitting Roman law, Greek learning, Christian religion, and artistic and architectural models. For example, the Corpus Juris Civilis (Justinian’s Code) codified Roman law and later became the foundation for legal study in Western Europe, influencing the development of continental legal systems; likewise Byzantine monasteries and scholars copied and preserved classical Greek texts (Aristotle, Plato), which were later passed to Western Europe and helped spark the Renaissance.

Byzantium also carried Orthodox Christianity and literacy into Slavic Europe: the missionary activity and writings of Saints Cyril and Methodius produced a Slavic liturgy and alphabet (Old Church Slavonic/Cyrillic), enabling the spread of Christianity and literacy across Bulgaria, Kievan Rus, and beyond. Artistic and architectural models—most famously the domed churches like Hagia Sophia—shaped European church-building and religious iconography, showing how Byzantine religious, legal, and intellectual achievements left concrete, documented traces across the continent.