DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.5625#0428
Retrospect
391
Nor did it fall everywhere. For, as we have seen, a fragment' 788. Sur-
of the vast Empire still survived in the East. The emperors figment of
ruling at Constantinople traced their predecessors back in an **^P»*
unbroken line to Augustus, and they ruled as his successors, nopie, and
^ , its fall in
Founded on the site of an ancient Greek city, lying m the midst i453 a.d.
of the Greek East, Constantinople had always been Greek in
both language and civilization. But at the same time, as we
have seen, it was largely oriental also. Notwithstanding this, it
never wholly lost the tradition of old Greek culture. Learning,
even though of a mechanical type, never died out there, as it
did so completely in the West; nor did art ever fall so low.
As Rome declined, Constantinople became the greatest and
most splendid city of Europe, exciting the admiration and sur-
prise of all visitors from the less civilized West. Thus the last
surviving fragment of the Empire, which by right of succession
might still continue to call itself Roman, lived on for a thou-
sand years after the Germans had completely conquered the
West. Nor did the Germans ever gain Constantinople, but in
1453 this last remnant of the Roman Empire fell into the hands
of the Turks, who have held it ever since.
Section 80. Retrospect
Besides the internal decay of Rome and the triumph of the 789. From
Christian Church, the other great outstanding feature of the last hatchet to
centuries of the Roman Empire was the incoming of the bar- the Chris-
tian civili-
barians, with the result that while Mediterranean civilization zation of
steadily declined, it nevertheless slowly spread northward, espe- Europein
dally under the influence of the Church, till it transformed the fanVy°ars
ruder life of the North. At this point then we have returned to
the region of western and northern Europe, where we first took
up the career of man, and there, among the crumbling monu-
ments of the Stone Age, Christian churches now began to rise.
Books and civilized government, once found only along the
Mediterranean, reached the northern shores of Europe, where
391
Nor did it fall everywhere. For, as we have seen, a fragment' 788. Sur-
of the vast Empire still survived in the East. The emperors figment of
ruling at Constantinople traced their predecessors back in an **^P»*
unbroken line to Augustus, and they ruled as his successors, nopie, and
^ , its fall in
Founded on the site of an ancient Greek city, lying m the midst i453 a.d.
of the Greek East, Constantinople had always been Greek in
both language and civilization. But at the same time, as we
have seen, it was largely oriental also. Notwithstanding this, it
never wholly lost the tradition of old Greek culture. Learning,
even though of a mechanical type, never died out there, as it
did so completely in the West; nor did art ever fall so low.
As Rome declined, Constantinople became the greatest and
most splendid city of Europe, exciting the admiration and sur-
prise of all visitors from the less civilized West. Thus the last
surviving fragment of the Empire, which by right of succession
might still continue to call itself Roman, lived on for a thou-
sand years after the Germans had completely conquered the
West. Nor did the Germans ever gain Constantinople, but in
1453 this last remnant of the Roman Empire fell into the hands
of the Turks, who have held it ever since.
Section 80. Retrospect
Besides the internal decay of Rome and the triumph of the 789. From
Christian Church, the other great outstanding feature of the last hatchet to
centuries of the Roman Empire was the incoming of the bar- the Chris-
tian civili-
barians, with the result that while Mediterranean civilization zation of
steadily declined, it nevertheless slowly spread northward, espe- Europein
dally under the influence of the Church, till it transformed the fanVy°ars
ruder life of the North. At this point then we have returned to
the region of western and northern Europe, where we first took
up the career of man, and there, among the crumbling monu-
ments of the Stone Age, Christian churches now began to rise.
Books and civilized government, once found only along the
Mediterranean, reached the northern shores of Europe, where