Rhomaioi

Rhomaioi refers to the inhabitants and citizens of the Byzantine Empire, the eastern continuation of the Roman state from late antiquity until its conquest in 1453. The term is Greek in origin, derived from the Latin Romanus, and was used by Byzantine Greeks to identify themselves as Romans (Rhomaioi) rather than simply Greeks. In Byzantine political and cultural self-understanding, the empire was the legitimate continuation of the Roman Empire, whose institutions, laws, and imperial succession they claimed.

Identity and language

The Rhomaioi emphasized Roman continuity in state and law, maintaining that they ruled a Roman imperial heritage rather than forming a distinct Greek polity. Greek became the dominant spoken language of administration and culture, while Latin remained influential in earlier periods and formal contexts. The term Rhomaioi contrasted with ethnographic labels such as Graikoi (Greeks), which could be used by outsiders or in specific contexts, though self-perception varied across regions and centuries.

Institutions and culture

The Byzantine state combined Roman legal and administrative traditions with Greco-Christian culture. The Church, centered in Constantinople, played a central role in imperial identity. The empire preserved Roman law, imperial titulature, and ceremonial forms, even as its language and everyday life reflected Greek influence. The term Rhomaioi underscored political continuity rather than a simple ethnic category.

Legacy

After the fall of Constantinople in 1453, the term continued in Greek historiography and literature to denote the Byzantine Romans. In later periods and in neighboring languages, the concept persisted as a reference to the Eastern Roman Empire’s legacy. Today, Rhomaioi is often used in academic and Greek contexts to discuss the Byzantine state and its people, highlighting the idea of Roman continuity beyond the urban borders of classical Rome.