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How the Roman and Byzantine Worlds Influenced African Art

North Africa was under the rule of the Byzantine for almost two centuries. Byzantine’s most significant influence on African was physical rather than cultural, marked by the sepulchral mosaics designed by landowners (Yuval-Hacham, 2019). The Byzantine domain and its arts traversed more than a millennium and gripped geographic locations faraway from its metropolis in Constantinople. Therefore, Byzantine architecture incorporates work built from the fourth century to the fifteenth century and comprises parts of the Italian promontory, the eastern boundary of the Slavic society, the Middle-East and North Africa (Yuval-Hacham, 2019). This paper discusses how the Roman and Byzantine worlds influenced African art. It is noted that Byzantine influenced Africa art through Christianity art drawn in Roman churches.

Research indicates that during Emperor Constantine reign in 330, Christianity prospered and increasingly replaced the Greco-Roman gods. This religious transformation dramatically influenced the art designed across the empire (Yuval-Hacham, 2019). During this era, churches were built, and interior decorations included icons and mosaics. Examples of icons had Virgin (Theotokos) and Child between Saints Theodore and George (Yuval-Hacham, 2019). These decorations served as mechanisms for the dedicated to access the religious realm. Since Africa was under Byzantine rule, Christianity was encouraged in these regions, particularly North Africa. Consequently, churches were built, and similar mosaics were introduced.

 Conclusively, African art was mainly influenced by the Roman and Byzantine’s religious art, mosaics, paintings in frescos and illuminated manuscripts.