Medieval Europe + Byzantium

Christianity and art

• View all content

Little is known about Jesus beyond biblical accounts, though we do know more about the cultural and political context in which he lived.

Judaism and art

• View all content

The early Israelites made sacrifices at the Holy Temple, and they were distinct from other Levantine peoples, each of whom worshipped their local gods.

Books in medieval Europe

• View all content

More books survive from the Middle Ages than any other artistic medium.

Early Christian

c. 200–500 C.E.

• View all content

Christianity in its first three centuries was one of a large number of mystery religions that flourished in the Roman world.

Byzantine

c. 330–1453 C.E.

• Beginner's guide
• View all content

The Roman Emperor Constantine adopted Christianity and founded Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul). This city was previously known as Byzantium, hence the term "Byzantine."

Early Medieval

c. 500–800 C.E.

• View all content

Christianity flourished in the early middle ages and this dramatically affected art that was created across Europe.

Carolingian

780–900 C.E.

• View all content

​Charlemagne, King of the Franks and later Holy Roman Emperor, instigated a cultural revival known as the Carolingian Renaissance.

Ottonian

c. 936–1015 C.E.

• View all content

The Ottonian kings defined themselves as a Roman Emperors in the style of Constantine and Charlemagne, and left an extensive artistic legacy.

Viking Age

7th–13th century C.E.

• View all content

The Viking Age is more complex than we realize.

Romanesque

c. 1000–1200 C.E.

• View all content

Pilgrimages, crusades and the first international style of art since antiquity: the Romanesque.

Gothic

c. 1200–1400 C.E.

• View all content

Forget the association of the word "Gothic" to dark, haunted houses. The Gothic style brought both divine light and soaring height to medieval churches.

The Crusades

c. 1095–1291 C.E.

• View all content

Crusading took many forms, and attempting to precisely define crusading has engaged historians in intense debates for more than 150 years.

Late Medieval

c. 1400–1500 C.E.

• View all content