8. Christianity While the Western Empire collapsed,
the Eastern Empire based in
Constantinople and known as the medieval Byzantine Empire, continued for another thousand years. It retained many aspects of Rome such as its Latin language, its laws and its Christian religion. The success of the Byzantine Empire helped conserve Christian beliefs and many of the important texts and relics (remaining parts or fragments of an item associated with a saint).
9. Ideas and culture
The culture of Rome continued to be important for over two thousand years. During the Renaissance (Chapter 5) Roman literature became very popular, and many artists were inspired by Roman mythology and architecture. Later still, in the twentieth century, the Roman belief in the importance of military expansion, the personal power of the emperor, the obedience of the population, and the rule of law were made popular with the rise of Fascism (Chapter 13).
2
Fig 2.35 The GPO in Dublin has many Roman architectural features.