??hagia sophia ??: Did you mean...?

King Arthur is among the most famous literary characters of all time. The Arthurian legend of the Knights of the Round Table, Camelot, the Quest for the Holy Grail, the love affair of Lancelot and Guinevere, and the wizard Merlin have informed...

Frederick Douglass (circa 1818-1895) was an abolitionist orator, minister, writer, editor, reformer, and statesman, who had been born a slave in Maryland, escaped to New York at around the age of 20, and became a talented orator and writer...

Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864) was an American author of novels and short stories, who produced some of the most memorable works of American literature: the novels The Scarlet Letter and The House of the Seven Gables as well as the short...

The coinage of the Byzantine Empire continued that of its more ancient predecessors and functioned as a convenient method of payment for goods and services, especially to soldiers and officials, and as a means for people to pay their taxes...

Byzantine emperor John II Komnenos (r. 1118-1143 CE). From a 12th century CE mosaic panel in the south gallery of the Hagia Sophia, Istanbul. The emperor is shown offering a gift to the Virgin and young Christ.

Basil I was emperor of the Byzantine Empire from 867 to 886 CE and he founded the "Macedonian" dynasty which lasted for over 200 years. Basil was an Armenian from a humble background who had risen to become the second most powerful man in...

An 11th century CE gold and glass mosaic in the Hagia Sophia of Constantinople depicting Constantine IX Monomachos (r. 1042-1055 CE), Jesus Christ and Empress Zoe (r. 1028-1050 CE).

Heraclius (Herakleios) was emperor of the Byzantine Empire from 610 to 641 CE. He crushed the Persian empire and returned the looted True Cross to Jerusalem, but the second half of his reign was beset by intrigues and ecclesiastical controversies...

Mosaic from the Hagia Sophia in modern-day Istanbul (previously Constantinople), Turkey, depicting Zoe, empress of the Byzantine Empire from 1028-1050 CE. She was the daughter of Constantine VIII (r. 1025-1028 CE).

Depiction of Byzantine Empress Irene, the wife of Emperor John II (r. 1118-1143 CE) as found in the Hagia Sophia in modern-day Istanbul (previously Constantinople), Turkey.