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A beginner's guide to Byzantine art and culture

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A beginner's guide to Byzantine ArtIconoclastic controversies

Constantinople and the East

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Hagia Sophia, IstanbulHagia Sophia, IstanbulTheotokos mosaic, apse, Hagia Sophia, IstanbulDeësis mosaic, Hagia Sophia, IstanbulThe Emperor Triumphant (Barberini Ivory)Hagia Sophia as a mosqueVirgin (Theotokos) and Child between Saints Theodore and GeorgeIvory panel with ArchangelThe Paris PsalterIcon of the Triumph of Orthodoxy
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Venice and Ravenna

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San Vitale, RavennaJustinian Mosaic, San VitaleSant'Apollinare in Classe, RavennaSaint Mark's Basilica, VenicePlunder, war, and the Horses of San Marco
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Quiz: Byzantine art

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Byzantine art (quiz)Get 6 of 8 questions to level up!

About this unit

Brought to you by Smarthistory. Constantinople (now Istanbul) was the capital of the late Roman empire, but its ethereal mosaics, ivories, and metalwork often depart from classical naturalism.