Constantinople

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

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Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/constantinople

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. When was Constantinople built?330 AD by Roman Emperor Constantine the Great as 'Nova Roma'
2. What is the capital of?The Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire from 330 AD to 1453 AD
3. What was Constantinople and why was it called the New Rome?Constantinople was a city built by Emperor Constantine in 330 AD. It was called the New Rome because it was meant to be a new, stronger capital for the Roman Empire.
4. Where was Constantinople located and why was that a good place?It was on the Bosphorus, a narrow strait between the Mediterranean and Black Sea. The city was on a peninsula with water on three sides, making it very hard to attack.

Byzantine Empire: The continuation of the Roman Empire in the East, with its capital at Constantinople, lasting from the 4th to the 15th century.
Theodosian Walls: An extensive system of ancient fortifications that protected Constantinople from land-based attacks for over a thousand years.
Hagia Sophia: A monumental architectural achievement, originally a cathedral, then a mosque, and now a museum, symbolizing Byzantine imperial and religious power.
Ottoman Conquest of 1453: The capture of Constantinople by the Ottoman Empire, marking the end of the Byzantine Empire and a pivotal moment in world history.