Final answer:
The Roman Empire was the primary civilization that influenced the development of the Byzantine Empire, which viewed itself as the continuation of Roman civilization and culture.
Step-by-step explanation:
The civilization that had the greatest influence on the development of the Byzantine Empire was the Roman Empire. The Byzantine Empire was essentially the continuation of the Eastern Roman Empire after the fall of Rome. When Rome was sacked by various tribes, the empire persisted in the east as the Byzantine Empire for another thousand years, centered around its capital in Constantinople. This continuation preserved Roman cultural practices, language, and Christianity, all while fostering its own unique cultural developments such as the Macedonian Renaissance that later influenced the Italian Renaissance.
Byzantine society saw itself as the torchbearer of Roman civilization, calling themselves Romans. Despite facing numerous challenges over the centuries, including the rise of the Ottoman Empire and eventual absorption into Turkish culture, the influence of Byzantine civilization persisted through its artwork, architecture, and the preservation of Greek language and Christian religion. The fall of the Byzantine Empire in 1453 marks a significant shift, as Greek scholars fled to Italy, influencing the Renaissance and thereby impacting Western Europe significantly.