Religious Influence On Byzantium

379 Words2 Pages
The wealth that Byzantium held may have been largely due to the religious influence of the empire. Benjamin of Toledo begins praising Byzantium by stating that it is surrounded by land and sea that allow for all areas of the Mediterranean to have entrance into the empire. According to Benjamin’s observations, the vast religious state of Byzantium attracts many peoples; “Constantinople is a busy city, and merchants come to it from every country by sea or land, and there is none like it in the world…” He attributes the empire’s success to the religious values that influence everyone throughout the empire. The religious influences are huge throughout the empire as noted by Benjamin, “There are also as many churches as there are days of the year”.