The Sixth Age: A Medieval History Podcast
Oct 12, 2026 · 1 hr 5 min · 12 segments
Join me for an overview of the Eastern Roman Empire's major institutions, plus an account of the reigns of Emperors Zeno, Basilicus, and Anastasius Dicorus…
If you remember my earlier episodes, you'll know that the Western Roman Empire had effectively ceased to exist by this point in history.
The Eastern Empire, however, continued to exist.
When the last Western Roman Emperor was deposed, the Eastern Emperor Zeno continued to administer the empire's eastern provinces from Constantinople.
As the city of Rome shrank in population and prestige, Constantinople grew in wealth and power until it became the greatest city in Europe and perhaps in all the world.
Remember, Rome was sacked twice in the fifth century, which meant that many of its people and treasures were carried off by the Vandals and Visigoths.
It sat on a peninsula, so hostile armies could only approach it from one side, which just so happened to be defended by the aforementioned Theodosian walls.
Constantinople was threatened by barbarian armies throughout the fifth century, but these barbarian armies were unable to pierce the city's defenses.
Rome was not so lucky.
Rome's population had shrunk from its peak of over a million to less than one hundred thousand by five hundred AD.
Meanwhile, Constantinople had a population between five hundred thousand and seven hundred thousand at this point in history.
Only the cities of Nanjing in China and Ctesiphon in Persia rivaled Constantinople's population, but it is doubtful that they equaled Constantinople's grandeur.
If I could choose anywhere in the world to visit in the year five hundred AD, I would pick Constantinople without a moment of hesitation.
Anastasius was a pragmatic man, and he's considered by many historians to be among the most effective Eastern Roman emperors.
Anastasius' economic policy expanded the empire's tax base and bolstered the imperial treasury.
Since it was founded by Constantine the Great in three thirty, Constantinople became the major administrative center for the Eastern Roman Empire.
It was also a trade hub as ships brought spices, silk, grain, and gold from Egypt to Constantinople's docks.
While knowledge of the ancient Greek sources largely died out in the West, scholars and theologians in Constantinople debated Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle just as their ancestors had hundreds of years earlier.
Greco-Roman civilization was preserved in the East by an empire that would last a thousand years after the so-called Fall of Rome.
If you're shocked to learn about the fact that the Eastern Roman Empire persisted for a thousand years after the Western Empire collapsed, I don't blame you.
If you remember my earlier episodes, you'll know that the Western Roman Empire had effectively ceased to exist by this point in history.
The Eastern Empire, however, continued to exist.
When the last Western Roman Emperor was deposed, the Eastern Emperor Zeno continued to administer the empire's eastern provinces from Constantinople.
As the city of Rome shrank in population and prestige, Constantinople grew in wealth and power until it became the greatest city in Europe and perhaps in all the world.
Remember, Rome was sacked twice in the fifth century, which meant that many of its people and treasures were carried off by the Vandals and Visigoths.
It sat on a peninsula, so hostile armies could only approach it from one side, which just so happened to be defended by the aforementioned Theodosian walls.
Constantinople was threatened by barbarian armies throughout the fifth century, but these barbarian armies were unable to pierce the city's defenses.
Rome was not so lucky.
Rome's population had shrunk from its peak of over a million to less than one hundred thousand by five hundred AD.
Meanwhile, Constantinople had a population between five hundred thousand and seven hundred thousand at this point in history.
Only the cities of Nanjing in China and Ctesiphon in Persia rivaled Constantinople's population, but it is doubtful that they equaled Constantinople's grandeur.
If I could choose anywhere in the world to visit in the year five hundred AD, I would pick Constantinople without a moment of hesitation.
Anastasius was a pragmatic man, and he's considered by many historians to be among the most effective Eastern Roman emperors.
Anastasius' economic policy expanded the empire's tax base and bolstered the imperial treasury.
Since it was founded by Constantine the Great in three thirty, Constantinople became the major administrative center for the Eastern Roman Empire.
It was also a trade hub as ships brought spices, silk, grain, and gold from Egypt to Constantinople's docks.
While knowledge of the ancient Greek sources largely died out in the West, scholars and theologians in Constantinople debated Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle just as their ancestors had hundreds of years earlier.
Greco-Roman civilization was preserved in the East by an empire that would last a thousand years after the so-called Fall of Rome.
If you're shocked to learn about the fact that the Eastern Roman Empire persisted for a thousand years after the Western Empire collapsed, I don't blame you.
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