Key Terms
WHO
Diocletian — military official from Illyria (Balkans); declared emperor by troops in 284 CE.
DEFINITION - TETRARCHY
Rule of four emperors (two senior, two junior) established by Diocletian to stabilize the Crisis of the Third Century.
DEFINITION - ECUMENICAL COUNCILS
Meetings organized by emperors gathering Christian bishops from around the empire to settle matters of doctrine. "Ecumen
THEODOSIUS I
Last emperor to rule a united empire; died 395 CE.
LOCATION
South-central Syria.
PROSELYTIZING RELIGION
Christianity was unique in actively seeking to convert others. Jewish and Zoroastrian traditions did not have the same m
ASCETICISM
Practice of self-denial and rejection of pleasures as a way to express religious devotion.
BEDOUIN
Nomadic tribes of Arabia; from Arabic badawi ("desert dwellers").
CODE OF JUSTINIAN
Legal compilation by Emperor Justinian; compiled and edited Roman edicts from the 2nd through 6th centuries CE; also res
ECUMENICAL COUNCILS
Meetings organized by emperors gathering Christian bishops from around the empire to settle matters of doctrine. From Gr
FOEDERATI
Foreign states and tribes given semiautonomy as Roman allies in exchange for pledging military service.
JEWISH DIASPORA
Dispersion of Jewish people beyond their ancestral homeland of Israel/Palestine following the Romans' destruction of the
LATE ANTIQUITY
Transitional period between the ancient and medieval worlds; approximately 150 to 750 CE.
TETRARCHY
Rule of four emperors — two senior (augustus) and two junior (caesar) — established by Diocletian to address the Crisis
THEODOSIAN CODE
Document initiated by Emperor Theodosius II; compiled all laws issued since the early 4th century (after 312 CE) from ac