The internet is filled with things. Here is one of them.
Why are complex things "Byzantine"?2024 Jul 30
It seems rude that the most lasting legacy of the eastern half of the Roman empire is that the word we use to describe them also means "frustratingly complex." How did this word 'Byzantine' come to mean this? Was racism involved? Racism was involved, wasn't it?
According to this article, though the word "byzantine" didn't enter common usage until the 1960s, even Napoleon warned his people not to become preoccupied with "petty quarrels" like the court of the Byzantine emperor, so I guess it's fair to say that the Byzantine empire's reputation for busying itself with inefficiencies, well-earned or otherwise, has if nothing else been enduring.
It seems rude that the most lasting legacy of the eastern half of the Roman empire is that the word we use to describe them also means "frustratingly complex." How did this word 'Byzantine' come to mean this? Was racism involved? Racism was involved, wasn't it?
According to this article, though the word "byzantine" didn't enter common usage until the 1960s, even Napoleon warned his people not to become preoccupied with "petty quarrels" like the court of the Byzantine emperor, so I guess it's fair to say that the Byzantine empire's reputation for busying itself with inefficiencies, well-earned or otherwise, has if nothing else been enduring.