Description

• Citizens of the Byzantine empire would have recognised themselves as "Roman". The Byzantine Empire was a medieval and early modern state that existed in southeastern Europe between the 4th and 15th centuries. It was a successor state of the Roman Empire, it was founded by the Roman Emperor Constantine I in 324 AD at Constantinople (now Istanbul) and lasted until 1453. During most of its existence, it was the most powerful economic, cultural, and military force in Europe in parallel with the growing power of the Frankish and Holy Roman Empire. As a continuation of the Roman Empire, it is also conventionally referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium.
• Like Brass, Bronze is an alloy of copper, but alloyed with Tin rather than Zinc. It was first used by humans around 3000 BCE. The earliest known examples of bronze objects are from the Sumerian city of Ur, in modern-day Iraq. Bronze was widely used in the ancient world for making tools, weapons, and armor, as well as for sculpture and other decorative items. The process of making bronze involves heating copper and tin to a high temperature and then pouring them into a mold. Once the metal has cooled and hardened, it can be shaped into the desired form. The bronze age was followed by the iron age - the spread of the Roman empire greatly contributed to the spread of iron-smelting technology.