Byzantium (Constantinople)

Byzantium, later known as Constantinople and now Istanbul, was a significant city in history. Founded in ancient Greece, it became the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire, or Byzantine Empire, after Emperor Constantine the Great relocated it in 330 AD. Strategically located between Europe and Asia, it thrived as a cultural and economic hub. The city was renowned for its architecture, especially the Hagia Sophia, and played a crucial role in preserving Greek and Roman knowledge through the Middle Ages. Constantinople fell to the Ottoman Turks in 1453, marking the end of the Byzantine Empire and a new era in world history.