Byzantine Empire, 12th century

Constantine I (Constantine the Great) moved the centre of the Roman Empire to the Greek settlement of Byzantium in 330 CE, henceforth named Constantinople, the present İstanbul. On 395 the Empire split, and the Eastern wing became known as the Byzantine Empire. Its symbol, a double-headed eagle, dates back to the 12th century. Later a sword (“Romfaia”) and the Globe of Orthodoxy were added and the crown by the Palaiologos dynasty. The Greek Orthodox Church, retaining its Byzantine culture, still uses this flag. Cyprus was incorporated in the Roman Republic in 58 BCE and remained part of the Roman and Byzantine Empire until the end of the 12th century.