Our mighty emperor, Justinian I (right), became emperor in 527. Justinian viewed Constantinople as a great city; but it had to be even greater. He built Constantinople into the glorious city it is today. The most glorious domed churches, palaces, and public arenas are all things that were built by him. Already the city is surrounded by 7 miles of walls, and Justinian plans to surround the city by a circuit of walls 12 miles long. Inside the city, spacious streets were lined with buildings of marble and alabaster; extremely expensive, but extremely beautiful building materials. Goods from around the world fill the shops with rare and exotic spices, materials and foods.As of today, our empire spans from Spain to Africa; from Europe to Asia. The only way this vast empire can be ruled is by a good form of government. So, the Byzantine empire uses a form of government called "bureaucracy". This means that our empire is ruled mainly by one person (Justinian I in our case), but also is run by several bureaus, administrators, and petty officials. This allows our emperor to keep an eye on every corner of the empire. Our empire will continue to flourish even after the great Justinian falls; it is known, and will be forever know, as the greatest empire that ever existed.
