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This mosaic of Byzantine Emperor Justinian I (r. 527-565), along with his court, bishops, and soldiers illustrates that he was the commander of a successful military, as well as emperor of a powerful Christian empire.

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This mosaic of Empress Theodora is from a 6th century Byzantine church in Italy, the same place as her husband Emperor Justinian’s mosaic. The jewelry and artistic detail in this mosaic illustrates her important role as empress over the wealthy and powerful Byzantine Empire.

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Constructed from 532-537 per the order of Emperor Justinian I, the Hagia Sophia served as a major church for the Byzantine Empire for hundreds of years. Situated in the Byzantine capital of Constantinople, with its historic architecture and design, the Hagia Sophia symbolized the importance of Christianity to the Byzantine Empire, its people, and its culture.

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For several hundred years (4th c. to 12th c.) the solidus or nomisma was the supreme gold coin of the Byzantine Empire, every emperor or empress minted their own gold coins. On this gold coin is Empress Irene, who reigned from 797- 802.

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This box, made of gold, silver, and enamel, was made in the 9th century with the purpose of holding a piece of the True Cross that Christ was believed to have been crucified on. Byzantine Christians would keep holy items in special containers such as this one to protect and display them.

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The Processional Cross was widely used in Byzantine military, religious, and imperial processions during the Middle Byzantine era. This 11th century cross is made of silver and is decorated with Christian holy figures, inscriptions, and other symbols.

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This image is of the central dome from a church in the 11th century Hosios Loukas monastery in Greece. Byzantine art, architecture, and Christianity are greatly reflected in the dome design, frescos, and mosaics in this church.

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This 12th century Byzantine plate of a cheetah hunting was excavated along with many other ceramics, vessels, and lamps from a shipwreck in the Aegean Sea. In Byzantium, only emperors or imperial elites could own trained hunting cheetahs.