The Byzantine Empire: Constantinople, Justinian's laws and saving Greek and Roman learning
Grade 7 Social Studies Worksheet - Building Confidence

Circle the best answer.
Esme's chain has a blank: what passed through Constantinople because of where it stood?
- The western parts of the empire
- Trade by land and sea
- A ring of high mountains
- Farmers, and no traders
Jun's chain has a blank: which language gradually replaced Latin for official use?
Cause and effect chain "The Roman Empire carries on in the east": [1] the western parts of the Roman Empire are lost in the 400s; [2] the eastern half carries on, ruled from Constantinople; [3] ?; [4] its people still call themselves Romans. Arrows: 1 → 2, 2 → 3, 2 → 4. The box marked ? is blank. Below the chain: the name "Byzantine Empire" was made up by historians after the empire ended in 1453. Cause and effect chain "The Roman Empire carries on in the east": [1] the western parts of the Roman Empire are lost in the 400s; [2] the eastern half carries on, ruled from Constantinople; [3] ?; [4] its people still call themselves Romans. Arrows: 1 → 2, 2 → 3, 2 → 4. The box marked ? is blank. Below the chain: the name "Byzantine Empire" was made up by historians after the empire ended in 1453. The Roman Empire carries on in the east [1] the western parts of the Roman Empire are lost in the 400s [2] the eastern half carries on, ruled from Constantinople [3] ? [4] its people still call themselves Romans Below the chain: the name "Byzantine Empire" was made up by historians after the empire ended in 1453. - Greek
- Arabic
- Persian
- French
Luz reads that Constantinople was the capital. What is a capital?
Cause and effect chain "Constantinople's place on the map": [1] the city stands where the land route between Europe and Asia meets the sea route between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean; [2] trade by land and sea passes through the city; [3] from the mid-400s to the early 1200s it is the largest and wealthiest city in Europe; [4] its trades work under rules, later written down in the Book of the Eparch (900s). Arrows: 1 → 2, 2 → 3, 2 → 4. Below the chain: Constantinople was founded in 324 on the site of the Greek town of Byzantium and was the capital from 330 to 1453. Today it is Istanbul. Cause and effect chain "Constantinople's place on the map": [1] the city stands where the land route between Europe and Asia meets the sea route between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean; [2] trade by land and sea passes through the city; [3] from the mid-400s to the early 1200s it is the largest and wealthiest city in Europe; [4] its trades work under rules, later written down in the Book of the Eparch (900s). Arrows: 1 → 2, 2 → 3, 2 → 4. Below the chain: Constantinople was founded in 324 on the site of the Greek town of Byzantium and was the capital from 330 to 1453. Today it is Istanbul. Constantinople's place on the map [1] the city stands where the land route between Europe and Asia meets the sea route between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean [2] trade by land and sea passes through the city [3] from the mid-400s to the early 1200s it is the largest and wealthiest city in Europe [4] its trades work under rules, later written down in the Book of the Eparch (900s) Below the chain: Constantinople was founded in 324 on the site of the Greek town of Byzantium and was the capital from 330 to 1453. Today it is Istanbul. - The city a government is run from
- A wall around a city
- A kind of gold coin
- The biggest market in a town
Why do books call it the Byzantine Empire, Milo asks?
Cause and effect chain "The Roman Empire carries on in the east": [1] the western parts of the Roman Empire are lost in the 400s; [2] the eastern half carries on, ruled from Constantinople; [3] Greek gradually replaces Latin for official use; [4] its people still call themselves Romans. Arrows: 1 → 2, 2 → 3, 2 → 4. Below the chain: the name "Byzantine Empire" was made up by historians after the empire ended in 1453. Below the chain: Constantinople was founded in 324 on the site of the Greek town of Byzantium and was the capital from 330 to 1453. Today it is Istanbul. Cause and effect chain "The Roman Empire carries on in the east": [1] the western parts of the Roman Empire are lost in the 400s; [2] the eastern half carries on, ruled from Constantinople; [3] Greek gradually replaces Latin for official use; [4] its people still call themselves Romans. Arrows: 1 → 2, 2 → 3, 2 → 4. Below the chain: the name "Byzantine Empire" was made up by historians after the empire ended in 1453. Below the chain: Constantinople was founded in 324 on the site of the Greek town of Byzantium and was the capital from 330 to 1453. Today it is Istanbul. The Roman Empire carries on in the east [1] the western parts of the Roman Empire are lost in the 400s [2] the eastern half carries on, ruled from Constantinople [3] Greek gradually replaces Latin for official use [4] its people still call themselves Romans Below the chain: the name "Byzantine Empire" was made up by historians after the empire ended in 1453. Below the chain: Constantinople was founded in 324 on the site of the Greek town of Byzantium and was the capital from 330 to 1453. Today it is Istanbul. - An emperor was named Byzantine
- Its own people called themselves the Byzantines
- Historians later named it after Byzantium
- Byzantine is Latin for gold
Cause and effect chain "Constantinople's place on the map": [1] the city stands where the land route between Europe and Asia meets the sea route between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean; [2] trade by land and sea passes through the city; [3] from the mid-400s to the early 1200s it is the largest and wealthiest city in Europe; [4] its trades work under rules, later written down in the Book of the Eparch (900s). Arrows: 1 → 2, 2 → 3, 2 → 4. Below the chain: Constantinople was founded in 324 on the site of the Greek town of Byzantium and was the capital from 330 to 1453. Today it is Istanbul. Cause and effect chain "Constantinople's place on the map": [1] the city stands where the land route between Europe and Asia meets the sea route between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean; [2] trade by land and sea passes through the city; [3] from the mid-400s to the early 1200s it is the largest and wealthiest city in Europe; [4] its trades work under rules, later written down in the Book of the Eparch (900s). Arrows: 1 → 2, 2 → 3, 2 → 4. Below the chain: Constantinople was founded in 324 on the site of the Greek town of Byzantium and was the capital from 330 to 1453. Today it is Istanbul. Constantinople's place on the map [1] the city stands where the land route between Europe and Asia meets the sea route between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean [2] trade by land and sea passes through the city [3] from the mid-400s to the early 1200s it is the largest and wealthiest city in Europe [4] its trades work under rules, later written down in the Book of the Eparch (900s) Below the chain: Constantinople was founded in 324 on the site of the Greek town of Byzantium and was the capital from 330 to 1453. Today it is Istanbul. Which box in the city chain is the first cause, Pia asks?
- The largest and wealthiest city in Europe
- Where the city stands
- Rules for the city's trades
- Trade passing through the city
In which years was Constantinople the largest and wealthiest city in Europe, Ren asks?
Use the picture in question 5.
- The 900s, and no other time
- Mid-400s to early 1200s
- From 1453 to today
- From 324 to 330
What did the people of the eastern empire call themselves, Tala asks?
Cause and effect chain "The Roman Empire carries on in the east": [1] the western parts of the Roman Empire are lost in the 400s; [2] the eastern half carries on, ruled from Constantinople; [3] Greek gradually replaces Latin for official use; [4] its people still call themselves Romans. Arrows: 1 → 2, 2 → 3, 2 → 4. Below the chain: the name "Byzantine Empire" was made up by historians after the empire ended in 1453. Cause and effect chain "The Roman Empire carries on in the east": [1] the western parts of the Roman Empire are lost in the 400s; [2] the eastern half carries on, ruled from Constantinople; [3] Greek gradually replaces Latin for official use; [4] its people still call themselves Romans. Arrows: 1 → 2, 2 → 3, 2 → 4. Below the chain: the name "Byzantine Empire" was made up by historians after the empire ended in 1453. The Roman Empire carries on in the east [1] the western parts of the Roman Empire are lost in the 400s [2] the eastern half carries on, ruled from Constantinople [3] Greek gradually replaces Latin for official use [4] its people still call themselves Romans Below the chain: the name "Byzantine Empire" was made up by historians after the empire ended in 1453. - Byzantines
- Latins
- Romans
- Istanbulis
Why would a city where land and sea routes meet grow wealthy, Zee asks?
Cause and effect chain "Constantinople's place on the map": [1] the city stands where the land route between Europe and Asia meets the sea route between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean; [2] trade by land and sea passes through the city; [3] from the mid-400s to the early 1200s it is the largest and wealthiest city in Europe; [4] its trades work under rules, later written down in the Book of the Eparch (900s). Arrows: 1 → 2, 2 → 3, 2 → 4. Below the chain: Constantinople was founded in 324 on the site of the Greek town of Byzantium and was the capital from 330 to 1453. Today it is Istanbul. Cause and effect chain "Constantinople's place on the map": [1] the city stands where the land route between Europe and Asia meets the sea route between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean; [2] trade by land and sea passes through the city; [3] from the mid-400s to the early 1200s it is the largest and wealthiest city in Europe; [4] its trades work under rules, later written down in the Book of the Eparch (900s). Arrows: 1 → 2, 2 → 3, 2 → 4. Below the chain: Constantinople was founded in 324 on the site of the Greek town of Byzantium and was the capital from 330 to 1453. Today it is Istanbul. Constantinople's place on the map [1] the city stands where the land route between Europe and Asia meets the sea route between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean [2] trade by land and sea passes through the city [3] from the mid-400s to the early 1200s it is the largest and wealthiest city in Europe [4] its trades work under rules, later written down in the Book of the Eparch (900s) Below the chain: Constantinople was founded in 324 on the site of the Greek town of Byzantium and was the capital from 330 to 1453. Today it is Istanbul. - Ships cannot reach it
- Wealth grows out of the roads
- Routes keep traders away from cities
- Traders passing through bought and sold there
Cause and effect chain "The Roman Empire carries on in the east": [1] the western parts of the Roman Empire are lost in the 400s; [2] the eastern half carries on, ruled from Constantinople; [3] Greek gradually replaces Latin for official use; [4] its people still call themselves Romans. Arrows: 1 → 2, 2 → 3, 2 → 4. Below the chain: the name "Byzantine Empire" was made up by historians after the empire ended in 1453. Cause and effect chain "The Roman Empire carries on in the east": [1] the western parts of the Roman Empire are lost in the 400s; [2] the eastern half carries on, ruled from Constantinople; [3] Greek gradually replaces Latin for official use; [4] its people still call themselves Romans. Arrows: 1 → 2, 2 → 3, 2 → 4. Below the chain: the name "Byzantine Empire" was made up by historians after the empire ended in 1453. The Roman Empire carries on in the east [1] the western parts of the Roman Empire are lost in the 400s [2] the eastern half carries on, ruled from Constantinople [3] Greek gradually replaces Latin for official use [4] its people still call themselves Romans Below the chain: the name "Byzantine Empire" was made up by historians after the empire ended in 1453. Why might the eastern government switch to Greek, Ari asks?
- Greek was already widely used in the east
- Greek had been invented that year
- Latin had been used nowhere
- The western parts asked it to
Bo's friend says the Roman Empire ended in the 400s. Which reply fits the chain?
Use the picture in question 9.
- Not quite: the eastern half carried on until 1453
- Agree: Greek replacing Latin ended it
- Disagree: it lost no lands
- Agree: it ended in the west and the east then