Notes on Nomenclature and Specific Terminology

• Eastern Roman Empire:

  Many modern historians refer to the Eastern Roman Empire as the Byzantine Empire. This is in part to distinguish the eastern half of the Roman Empire before the collapse of the Western Roman Empire and the Eastern Empire that continued to exist afterwards. Contemporary historians also point out the very different political scene prior to the 7th century in the empire. I have a few issues with this. For one, after 324 the capital was no longer called Byzantium but rather Nova Roma (New Rome). A mere six years later, it was renamed Constantinople, only further adding unnecessary confusion to the idea of calling the people Byzantines. Furthermore, making a distinction between the Eastern Romans of pre 476 and post 476 is very much unnecessary. Despite the drastic change and evolution of the Eastern Romans over their vast and complex history, they did not cease to be identifiable Romans. The people called Byzantines by modern scholars would have never recognized or adhered to this nomenclature. By their own belief and definition, they were only ever Romans (they called themselves Romaioi). For these reasons, I have rejected the terms Byzantine and Byzantine Empire in favor of the more accurate Eastern Roman and Eastern Roman Empire respectively. 

• Ottoman Empire: 

  "Ottoman Empire” is a modern term. The term is sufficient in reference to the inheritors of Eastern Rome and Anatolia from 1453-1922, but it still remains inherently inaccurate. For one, like the modern day empire of the United States, the Ottoman people did not consider or explicitly refer to it as an empire, although the state would be considered so today. The use of the word empire is tempting to use for various reasons, especially when considering the Ottoman role in inheriting Roman legitimacy. Even upon the fall of Constantinople to the Ottomans in 1453, a case could be made that the Eastern Roman empire continued; the Ottomans called themselves the Sultanate of Rome among other things. So the word empire is fitting although not quite contemporary to the Ottoman people. However, on the opposite front, the term Ottoman is itself not entirely fitting although it is contemporary. For simplicity’s sake, the term serves its function, but Ottoman was not always the word of choice by the people themselves. The closest to the modern use of the word Ottoman that these people used was their referral to themselves as “the Family of Osman” and later “the Ottoman State/Dynasty”. While I prefer the term “Ottoman Empire” as do many modern historians, it is important to understand that the people of topic did not refer to themselves as this. 

• The Dark Ages:

  The period traditionally known as the Dark Ages, also called the Early Middle Ages, is best defined as the first sub-period of the Middle Ages that lasted from roughly 500 AD to 950 AD. While sometimes mistakenly interpreted as a derogatory term, the term Dark Ages is simply meant to highlight the lack of surviving records and documentation from this period. The term “dark” here is only meant to imply that this period in history is difficult to examine. [4] The people of the Dark Ages were no less inherently complex, intelligent, artistic, or interesting than people from the periods before or after, as we shall see. 

• Italian Peninsula or Italia:

  Throughout this timeline, I have tried to avoid the use of the term Italy in order to differentiate the Italian Peninsula from the modern day nation-state of Italy. Despite birthing the ancient Roman Empire, the country of Italy did not formally exist until 1861, well into the modern era. Italia, as the Romans called it, is a term I favor in conjunction with the term Italian Peninsula.