Early Christian, Byzantine, and Islamic Art

Concurrent Dates

325 CE Council of Nicea 476 CE Western Rome Falls 632 CE Death of Mohammed 711 CE Muslim armies enter Spain 1099 CE First Crusade captures Jerusalem 1453 CE Byzantium falls to the Ottomans 1492 CE Final expulsion of Muslims and Jews from Spain

Byzantine art

The Byzantine people don't call themselves "Byzantines"- they call themselves Romans Constantinople Byzantium Theocracy

726-843 CE Iconoclasts Idolatry Iconophiles 2nd commandment- have no other idols ( Smashing of images. Destroying. Ripping off of mosaics. For these 100 years we have no art. Byzantine influence flows both ways.

The iconoclasm

Council of Nicea

• Secular ruler calls together • All the leaders come together and set the canon o Which books/texts are official o Establishes that Christ is a divine figure o The virgin Mary is the mother of Jesus