I bet you didnt know that

In 1943, 1944 and 1945, Oscars were made of out plaster and sprayed bronze. This was to help save metal for the war effort. All winners were promised they would get the real deal once the fighting was one. The academy were true to their word as they all received their metal statue after WW2 finished.

Going a bit east of ancient Rome, the city of Byzantium was founded by some bloke called Byza. Then along came somebody else who renamed it Augusta, then the emperor Constantine came along and called it New Rome(Roma Nova) and when his position matched his ego, which was large, renamed it again Constantinople. As you do. Alex the Greek left Alexandrias all over the place.

It was the capital of the the state of Byzantium. Though that was the name others gave the state, the locals called it the Roman Empire, or Romania and themselves Romans. It's flavour was more Greek, as was its language. It survived until the 15th century through periods of unrest and being the top of the tree. It was the most powerful and richest city and state in Europe for most of its existence. So "Rome" as an empire lasted for over 1500 years. A good innings by anyone's measure(one might argue it lasted beyond that in the guise of the Roman Catholic Church).

The Ottomans kept it as Constantinople, but other names were attached to it. Islambol and a couple of others. It seems it was hard pressed to hang onto names for itself. The modern name Istanbul may be a corruption of Islambol or the more likely from the Greek for "into the city" Is tam poli(sp) "Polis" being the greek word for city(state) and citizens of same. And where we get the word "politics", matter of state/citizens. EDIT you can kinda see how that might become the name over time. Consider Dubliners on Boards.ie, who will sometimes say something like "in town" or "going into town" and people from outside Dublin will often understandably ask "which town?".

For me, Byzantium is the best name it had. "where are you from? Istanbul. Oh that's nice". "Where are you from? Byzantium. Hell yeah!

Byzantine Empress hanging out with mates. Asking if this many pearls is too much. And WTF is a fountain doing in my room and why the hell am I left with the punch bowl?



That's Empress Theodora, a 6th century ruler. Interesting woman. She had started her early life as a dancer and actress like her Ma(IIRC her Da was an animal trainer for the arena). In them days "actress" and "purveyor of the sexual arts", so to speak, were pretty much the same thing. She traveled widely in her youth, was the girlfriend of some minor official who she had a kid with. The story goes she converted to Christianity and dialled down the oul adultery and such.

By various routes she ends up meeting the emperor a chap by the name of Justinian. Who was about 20 years older than her. The cad. Because of her common birth and dodgy background and existing child born outside the marriage sheets they weren't allowed to get hitched. Feck this sez Justinian and promptly changes the laws. Cos he could. Actually he was big into laws and codified and revised all the Roman laws, which influence the legal world down to today.

Anyhoo they get hitched and Justinian accepts her kid as his own. All pretty radical stuff. While himself is off busy sorting out the law and expanding the empire to its zenith, she is busy as his advisor and brings in reforms of her own. Mostly in the area of women's rights. She made forced prostitution illegal. She also made pimping and living off the profits of prostitution an offence. Note not prostitution itself. Well ahead of her time. She passed laws against rape, increased property rights for women and more favourable divorce laws for them too.

Once when a political coup was at the palace doors and the emperor and his mates were all ready to leg it, not Theo. Basically she strongly suggested they all grow a bloody pair, that it was better to be a dead emperor than a live fugitive, so stay and fight back. Which they did.

She died quite young, in her mid 40's and Justinian was brokenhearted from it. He never really got over it. He died years later well into his 80's.



*aside*I always found it slightly odd that while Western European history(and its various ex colonies) has the hots for the Classical Worlds of Greece and Rome and we are exposed to those cultures quite a lot, Byzantium is rather a black hole for most. TV documentaries and dramas on Greece and Rome are two a penny, even China and the Muslim world gets a regular nod, but when was the last time you saw one on Byzantium?