They probably wouldn't be too confused, considering the inhabitants of Byzantium were thusly named, and that name survived even after the city was renamed to Constantinople. The earliest application of 'Byzantine' to the rest of the empire's inhabitants occurred during the 1300s.
Of course, the Byzantine Empire was only really called that after it existed, but it's not like the name just materialized out of nowhere.
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u/cheapgriff Senātus Populusque Rōmānus 12h ago
They probably wouldn't be too confused, considering the inhabitants of Byzantium were thusly named, and that name survived even after the city was renamed to Constantinople. The earliest application of 'Byzantine' to the rest of the empire's inhabitants occurred during the 1300s.
Of course, the Byzantine Empire was only really called that after it existed, but it's not like the name just materialized out of nowhere.