Backbone of Army

Armenian military power, according to some scholars, was the basis of the stability and longevity of Byzantium. To recruit soldiers, the Byzantines went to Armenia. From the 5^th century forwards, the Armenians were regarded as the main constituent of the Byzantine army. When Hagia Sophia’s dome collapsed during the 989 earthquake, Emperor Basil II asked Drtad, the creator of the great churches of Ani and Agine, to repair the dome. It took six years to do the job. The dome still stands.

Armenian military power, according to some scholars, was the basis of the stability and longevity of Byzantium. To recruit soldiers, the Byzantines went to Armenia. From the 5^th century forwards, the Armenians were regarded as the main constituent of the Byzantine army. When Hagia Sophia’s dome collapsed during the 989 earthquake, Emperor Basil II asked Drtad, the creator of the great churches of Ani and Agine, to repair the dome. It took six years to do the job. The dome still stands.