Appendix 1
The Byzantine Empire had four main periods or eras:
Early Byzantine (330–847)
- From: the establishment of Constantinople as the capital of the Empire.
- Until: the end of Iconoclasm.
Middle Byzantine (847–1204)
- From: the end of Iconoclasm.
- Until: the first fall of Constantinople to the troops of the Fourth Crusade.
- The dominant imperial dynasty was the Komnenians, who also provided the name for the characteristic style in Byzantine art in this period.
Latin occupation (1204–1261)
- From: the first fall of Constantinople to the troops of the Fourth Crusade.
- Until: the recapture of the capital by Michael VIII Palaiologos (r. 1259–1282).
Late Byzantine (1261–1453)
- From: the recapture of Constantinople by Michael VIII Palaiologos.
- Until: the fall of the capital to the Ottoman Turks.
- The dominant imperial dynasty was the Palaiologans, who also provided the name for the characteristic style in Byzantine art in this period.
For a concise summary of the history of the Byzantine Empire, see Stathakopoulos (2014). For a list of Byzantine Emperors and key dates of the Byzantine Empire, see Lowden (1997, p. 428 and p. 429-435 respectively).