The best known and widely used Maori art motifs are the koru and the spiral. The koru is basically a stalk with a bulb at one end. No one knows how it was first invented or who elaborated this versatile element of pattern.Koru-like motifs are present in the arts of ancient Asia, notably in the areas of Southern China and South-east Asia. They abound in the tribal arts of Melanesia.o one knows how it was first invented or who elaborated this versatile element of pattern. Koru-like motifs are present in the arts of ancient Asia, notably in the areas of Southern China and South-east Asia. They abound in the tribal arts of Melanesia.
After the Roman Empire fell, the remnant, the Eastern Empire came to be known as the Byzantine Empire. The Byzantine emperors called themselves Emperors of the Romans.   **Actually the answer above is a bit off the mark. Constantine was the Emperor who reunited the Empire.
The Byzantine Empire fell in 1453. The immediate cause of its fall was pressure by the Ottoman Turks. The Ottomans had been fighting the Byzantines for over 100 years by this time. In 1454, Constantinople finally fell to them and their conquest of the Byzantine Empire was complete. Ironically enough, the major cause of the decline of the Byzantine Empire (what made it weak enough to fall to the Ottomans) was the Crusades. The Crusades were supposed to be Christian wars against Muslims.