Sicily has been influenced by Greek culture not only during the classical age but also during the medieval age from VI century CE until IX century CE when Sicily became part of the Eastern Roman Empire. The emperors considered themselves the only heirs of the Roman Empire and even called themselves “Romans”.
Sicily’s conquest started in 535 CE, when, thanks to a military expedition conducted by the commander Belisarius under the will of the emperor Justinian, they imposed Eastern Roman Empire’s control over the island. Belisarius, landed with an expeditionary force of over six thousand men in Catania, at that time under Goths’ domain, was welcomed as a saviour and succeeded to conquer the island. On the 25th December of 535 CE, the Mediterranean sea returned to be under Romans’ domain and the entire island, after becoming a province of Byzantium, was the protagonist of a new process of “Hellenisation” thanks to the military intervention of Byzantines and of Oriental Christianism. This domain lasted until 895 when the Eastern Roman Empire had to recognize officially Arabs’ right to govern Sicily, or until 965, the year of Rometta’s conquest (ME), the last Byzantine stronghold on the island.
From 692 to 695, under the will of the emperor Heraclius, the “Temi” were established which were byzantine provinces ordered militarily. Sicily and Calabria became "Thema Sikelia" and these territories were divided into Districts.
Provinces, that were governed by a strategist, the supreme military and civil commander, were constituted by turme and drungariati, small military and administrative units to control better the territory. Moreover, Byzantines exerted fiscal pressure on every single area under their domain because taxes were used to pay the expenses of the imperial court, civil bureaucracy, army and fleet.
The social power was in the big noble families’ hands, the majority of roman origins that had many rural or in town villas, spoke Greek and had specific costumes and values, inspired by Constantinople, which was their beacon.
During the VI-VII century, the population, that spoke Latin and greek, started to include more cultures and ethnic groups such as Balkans, Africans, wealthy laypeople and Greek monks. This change gradually influenced not only the religious and cultural aspect but also the social one with the inclusion of Sicilian "primores" and Roman senatorial families. Furthermore, the monastic population was composed of people related to byzantine traditions that started to hold the office of igumen or bishop and became part of the highest social layers by contributing to the process of “Hellenisation”.