The Armenian Civilization and Byzantine
Through this political relation of Armenia and Byzantine, the influence on other areas of Byzantine life was unavoidable.
The influence of Armenia and its participation in the art history of Byzantine forms one of the most interesting epochs in Armenia's art history. We have already mentioned the contribution of Armenia to the architecture of Byzantine, during the first golden artistic era, the 6th century. We have also described the theory of Strzygowski claiming that Armenia was the original source of Christian architecture in the East and in Byzantine.
In his famous work, Strzygowski writes: "An art historian must dispel the idea that the savage Armenians were civilized first by Rome and than Byzantine. In reality, the Armenians had their churches before the art of building churches in the vicinity of the Mediterranean had ever started to spread. This old Arian culture defended its dominance among these people which is why domed buildings are much more common there than those with right-angles, a building form which later spread to Europe."
We can also cite the famous Russian historian A. Vasiliev's words about the Macedonian dynasty, he thinks that this period, apart from the reign of Justinianus, was the most prominent era in Byzantine art, in regard to its creativity and its unique forms. He writes: "The Armenian influence during the Macedonian dynasty is significantly noticeable in Byzantine art. A large number of Armenian artists and architects worked in Byzantine." Vasiliev indicates that the new and famous church of Nea, which in Basil I's regin was the equivalent of the St Sophia Church during the reign of Justinianus, was probably built from an Armenian drawing. 92
Armenian influence on the Byzantine culture was not only limited to art but, extended also to the judicial system. Armenia contributed some of the greatest lawyers in Byzantine, who during the reign of Justinianus preserved the heritage of the Roman judicial system, and throughout the following centuries helped the empire to reorganize its judicial structure. 93
The interaction between Byzantine and Armenia, which developed over more than ten centuries, were not one-sided. Byzantine, which according to Villehardouin was the empire of all empires, did not only rule over the east during the Middle Ages, but was also an instructor in civilization.
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