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Yet Constantinople advantages were not only military.
但是它的優勢不僅僅體現在軍事上 。
Because Constantinople controlled the shipping lanes connecting the Black Sea with the Mediterranean,
由于君士坦丁堡控制了連接黑海和地中海的航線，
it controlled the trade routes between Europe and Asia making Byzantine merchants rich, rich, rich and raking in revenue for the State.
它也就控制了歐亞之間的貿易，這樣拜占庭的商人也因此發家致富，也為國家提供了大量的稅收。
Constantinople's central location also made it a culture center bringing in artists, poets, painters and teachers.
君士坦丁堡的中心位置也使其成為了文化中心，吸引了藝術家、詩人、畫家和教師。
By contrast the Western Empire got stuck with the brunt of the Barbarian invasions.
相反 西羅馬帝國卻深陷野蠻侵略的攻擊無法自拔。
The West's agricultural economy was dying, the West had no access to the treating riches of the Far East.
西方的農耕經濟正在枯竭，同時他們又沒有掌握和遠東進行貿易的通道。
And suffered from hopelessly weak leadership.
更絕望的是統治階級也十分無能。
The Eastern Empire on the other hand had its fair share of strong leaders.
東羅馬帝國另一方面有著強有力的領導。
Under the reign of Justinian the I in 527 AD to 565 AD
在查士丁尼一世統治的527到565年間，
the Byzantine Empire reached its greatest size conquering back Italy and North Africa.
拜占庭帝國領土擴張到了頂峰，收復了意大利和北非。
The last Byzantine Emperor who considered himself more a Roman than a Greek.
最后一任拜占庭皇帝認為自己更像是個羅馬人而不是希臘人。
Justinian also codified Roman law and built the beautiful Cathedral of Hagia Sophia.
查士丁尼還編纂了羅馬法建造了魅力圣菲亞大教堂。
Holy wisdom which would so impress the Russian ambassadors nearly 5 centuries later.
他神圣的智慧在近五個世紀后仍舊打動了俄國大使的心。
