The Elusive Byzantine Empire

Did the empire begin when the emperor Constantine moved his capital from Rome to Constantinople in 324? Or did it begin in 395 when the two halves of the vast Roman empire were officially divided into East and West, or even later in the late 5th century when Rome was sacked, conquered and governed by the Goths, leaving Constantinople and the East as the sole heir of the empire? Justinian not only adorned his capital with new buildings; he erected or restored a great number of edifices throughout his vast empire.

Source: www.historytoday.com