Byzantium

American  

[bih-zan-shee-uhm, -tee-uhm] / bɪˈzæn ʃi əm, -ti əm /

noun

1. an ancient Greek city on the Bosporus and the Sea of Marmara: Constantine I rebuilt it and renamed it Constantinople a.d.

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Byzantium British  

/ baɪ-, bɪˈzæntɪəm /

noun

1. an ancient Greek city on the Bosporus: founded about 660 _bc ; rebuilt by Constantine I in 330 _ad and called Constantinople; present-day Istanbul

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Example Sentences

A priest traces the endless conflict of Russia and the West to the Crusaders’ sack of Constantinople, formerly Byzantium, in 1204.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 22, 2026

While Anna failed to reconcile her love for her father with her love of historical truth, recent scholars of Byzantium have rightly acclaimed “The Alexiad” as a historical source of first importance.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 9, 2026

War risked defeat, while diplomacy used bribes and the soft power of cultural influence to target the Huns’ vulnerabilities: Their rulers needed money and prestige—either from conquest or recognition—to manage followers; Byzantium gave them both.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 17, 2025

The origins of Russia emerged out of this interaction, and out of the relationship between Byzantium and the Viking kings of the Slavs in Russia.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2020

As a result, Byzantium became a center for sericulture.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides