The History Book Club discussion

Kathy wrote: "Fourteen Byzantine Rulers: The Chronographia of Michael Psellus

by Michael Psellus (no photo)

Sy..."

Michael Psellus' history was that of a chatty Imperial insider. Other excellent historians of the era were:

by SKYLITZES/WORTLEY (no photo)

John Skylitzes wrote this; John Wortley translated. This has more military information and gives a broader view of events in his time. A truly wonderful resource for the period.

Also:
by Michael Attaleiates (no photo).

Michael Attaleiates was a lawyer of the period in the Imperial courts and friends with many figures of the time. His writing is clear and engaging.

Thanks, Eileen. Nice additions to the thread.

Great posts and books.

Walking Corpses: Leprosy in Byzantium and the Medieval West

by Timothy S Miller (no photo)

Synopsis:

Leprosy has afflicted humans for thousands of years. It wasn't until the twelfth century, however, that the dreaded disease entered the collective psyche of Western society, thanks to a frightening epidemic that ravaged Catholic Europe. The Church responded by constructing charitable institutions called leprosariums to treat the rapidly expanding number of victims. As important as these events were, Timothy Miller and John Nesbitt remind us that the history of leprosy in the West is incomplete without also considering the Byzantine Empire, which confronted leprosy and its effects well before the Latin West. In Walking Corpses, they offer the first account of medieval leprosy that integrates the history of East and West.

In their informative and engaging account, Miller and Nesbitt challenge a number of misperceptions and myths about medieval attitudes toward leprosy (known today as Hansen’s disease). They argue that ethical writings from the Byzantine world and from Catholic Europe never branded leprosy as punishment for sin; rather, theologians and moralists saw the disease as a mark of God’s favor on those chosen for heaven. The stimulus to ban lepers from society and ultimately to persecute them came not from Christian influence but from Germanic customary law. Leprosariums were not prisons to punish lepers but were centers of care to offer them support; some even provided both male and female residents the opportunity to govern their own communities under a form of written constitution. Informed by recent bioarchaeological research that has vastly expanded knowledge of the disease and its treatment by medieval society, Walking Corpses also includes three key Greek texts regarding leprosy (one of which has never been translated into English before).

Kathy wrote: "Walking Corpses: Leprosy in Byzantium and the Medieval West

by Timothy S Miller (no photo)

Synops..."

I believe that Timothy Miller has written another book on a Byzantine topic, possibly on hospitals in Byzantium?

Is this the one you were thinking about, Eileen?

The Birth of the Hospital in the Byzantine Empire

by Timothy S. Miller (no photo)

Synopsis:

Medical historians have traditionally claimed that modern hospitals emerged during the latter half of the nineteenth century. Premodern hospitals, according to many scholars, existed mainly as refuges for the desperately poor and sick, providing patients with little or no medical care. Challenging this view in a compelling survey of hospitals in the East Roman Empire, Timothy Miller traces the birth and development of Byzantine xenones, or hospitals, from their emergence in the fourth century to their decline in the fifteenth century, just prior to the Turkish conquest of Constantinople. These sophisticated medical facilities, he concludes, are the true ancestors of modern hospitals. In a new introduction to this paperback edition, Miller describes the growing scholarship on this subject in recent years.

Kathy wrote: "Is this the one you were thinking about, Eileen?

The Birth of the Hospital in the Byzantine Empire

by [author:Timothy S. Mill..."

Yes, that is the one. Good information and well written for an academic book, as I recall.

Thanks for the mention, Eileen. Makes a TBR list a bit longer. ;)

A History of the Byzantine State and Society by Warren Treadgold

by Warren Treadgold (no photo)

Hello! As I didn't see this source on this thread I decided to add it. I read this book two years ago as an introduction to the Eastern Roman Empire and I loved it. It is an excellent and well written overview of the history of the empire on its political, military, economic, religious and social areas. Its tables and maps (and specially the tables that show the budget of the empire) are fascinating although, as we are talking about the "Middle Ages" (I put the expression between parenthesis because that term is a convention and is only rigorous for Western Europe), numbers are a very hard thing to study but they provide a great help in understanding what was happening at that time and may help to understand certain developments in Eastern Roman history like the creation of the themes in the reign of Constans II. I think it’s an excellent reference on this field of study although it was published in 1997 and there were some developments in the last 17 years (although this book remains relatively actual).

Thank you for the post, José. Look like a good find for this thread. And nice job on the citation. If the author does not have a photo, just add that note at the end of the citation, like this:

by Warren Treadgold (no photo)

An upcoming book:
Release date: February 2, 2015

The Byzantine Republic: People and Power in New Rome

by Anthony Kaldellis

Synopsis:

Although Byzantium is known to history as the Eastern Roman Empire, scholars have long claimed that this Greek Christian theocracy bore little resemblance to Rome. Here, in a revolutionary model of Byzantine politics and society, Anthony Kaldellis reconnects Byzantium to its Roman roots, arguing that from the fifth to the twelfth centuries CE the Eastern Roman Empire was essentially a republic, with power exercised on behalf of the people and sometimes by them too. The Byzantine Republic recovers for the historical record a less autocratic, more populist Byzantium whose Greek-speaking citizens considered themselves as fully Roman as their Latin-speaking ancestors.

Kaldellis shows that the idea of Byzantium as a rigid imperial theocracy is a misleading construct of Western historians since the Enlightenment. With court proclamations often draped in Christian rhetoric, the notion of divine kingship emerged as a way to disguise the inherent vulnerability of each regime. The legitimacy of the emperors was not predicated on an absolute right to the throne but on the popularity of individual emperors, whose grip on power was tenuous despite the stability of the imperial institution itself. Kaldellis examines the overlooked Byzantine concept of the polity, along with the complex relationship of emperors to the law and the ways they bolstered their popular acceptance and avoided challenges. The rebellions that periodically rocked the empire were not aberrations, he shows, but an essential part of the functioning of the republican monarchy.

Jerome wrote: "An upcoming book:
Release date: February 2, 2015

The Byzantine Republic: People and Power in New Rome

by [authorimage:Ant..."

Interesting thoughts by this author. I doubt the Byzantines themselves would have recognized the concept of republican monarchy, but it often did function that way. I've often thought that the emperors reached the throne more by meritocratic success than by rights of succession as western kings did. There was the exception of the Macedonian dynasty, which had some abjectly poor rulers towards the end, although they may not have been recognized as such during their reigns.

It has seemed to me that this ability of the Byzantines to (usually) find rulers who were capable, rather than putting up with incompetents was key to its success through the centuries, at least until Andronikos Comnenus usurped the throne and started a cascade of self-seekers who left the empire susceptible to the successful attacks of the 4th Crusade in 1204.

Theodora: Portrait in a Byzantine Landscape

by Anthony Bridge (no photo)

Synopsis:

A biography of the Byzantine courtesan who rose from the gutter to the throne of an Empire.

Theodora (ca. 500 - 548) is a controversial and fascinating woman. Born to the lowest classes of Byzantine society, she became one of the most powerful women in world history. Reviled and smeared by ancient historians, she as a complex woman. Anthony Bridge's biography does much to fairly represent the story of this remarkable woman and to provide a broader historical context to make sense of who she was and why she acted the way she did.

Theodora was many things: a feminist who fought for legal protections for women; a religious heretic in the eyes of the Orthodox for her monophysite beliefs; a ruthless and cunning politician. She was also insightful, loyal to a fault and above all, a political realist. The nuance of her character and the impact she had on Byzantine society and politics are deftly shown here.

While the book is a bit dated (it was first published in 1984 - and it shows given the analogies to the Soviet Union and communist east Europe), the analysis and portrayal of this extraordinary woman. Highly recommended.

The Byzantine Wars

by John Haldon (no photo)

Synopsis:

This is a history of the wars between Byzantium and its numerous foes, among them the Goths, Arabs, Slavs, Crusaders, and Ottoman Turks. By the middle of the 6th century the Byzantine emperor ruled a mighty empire that straddled Europe, Asia, and North Africa. Within 100 years, this powerful empire had been cut in half. Two centuries later the Byzantine empire was once again a power to be reckoned with that soon recovered its position as the paramount East Mediterranean and Balkan power, an empire whose fabulous wealth attracted Viking mercenaries and central Asian nomad warriors to its armies, whose very appearance on the field of battle was sometimes enough to bring enemies to terms. This book provides essential support for those interested in Byzantine history in general as well as a useful corrective to the more usual highly romanticized views of Byzantine civilization.

'Aussie Rick' wrote: "Hi Charles,

I found John Julius Norwich's three volumes hard to beat, a masterful account of Byzantium.


by [aut..."

Bentley wrote: "I was spellbound when I was looking at the mosaics and even outside the church was breathtaking."

I agree with Charles E, they are great reads! I finished the first two, and will be starting the decline Saturday. Big font, great pictures, Norwich has a great writing style. I was curious about the split between the Catholic and Orthodox Church, and, while I am still not 100% clear, I am much clearer than I was before. I did have to google Arianism, Monophysitism, and tonsure, (and periodically re-read on the difference between Monophysitism, Miaphysitism, and other *tism's). Highly recommended!! Now I want to go and see Istanbul. At the end of the first book, Norwich lists some of the remnants of the Byzantine buildings and relics that are still there.

Thanks Marc but remember to just add the citation so folks know what book you are talking about and can link directly from your post. It also helps populate our goodreads site.

Istanbul is fabulous - was there last year after Christmas. The Hagia Sophia and the mosaics are special.

by John Julius Norwich

Road to Manzikert: Byzantine and Islamic Warfare, 527-1071

by Brian Todd Carey (no photo)

Synopsis:

In August 1071, the Byzantine Emperor Romanus IV Diogenese led out a powerful army in an attempt to roll back Seljuk Turkish incursions into the Anatolian heartland of the Empire. Outmaneuvered by the Turkish sultan, Alp Arslan, Romanus was forced to give battle with only half his troops near Manzikert. By the end of that fateful day much of the Byzantine army was dead, the rest scattered in flight and the Emperor himself a captive. As a result, the Anatolian heart was torn out of the empire and it was critically weakened, while Turkish power expanded rapidly, eventually leading to Byzantine appeals for help from Western Europe, prompting the First Crusade.

This book sets the battle in the context of the military history of the Byzantine Empire and the Islamic World (Arab and Seljuk Turkish) up to the pivotal engagement at Manzikert in 1071, with special emphasis on the origins, course and outcome of this battle. The composition, weapons and tactics of the very different opposing armies are analyzed. The final chapter is dedicated to assessing the impact of Manzikert on the Byzantine Empire's strategic position in Anatolia and to the battle's role as a causus belli for the Crusades. Dozens of maps and battle diagrams support the clear text.

Kathy wrote: "Road to Manzikert: Byzantine and Islamic Warfare, 527-1071

by Brian Todd Carey (no photo)

Synopsis:
..."

The outcome of Manzikert was determined more by the political self-interest of the Ducas family, than on the military might of the Byzantine Empire.

I haven't read the book, but I would hope that the author would discuss political too -- but it does look mostly like a military history view.

by Brian Todd Carey (no photo)

The Fourth Crusade and the Sack of Constantinople

The Fourth Crusade and the Sack of Constantinople by Jonathan Phillips

Synopsis:

This is the story about the 4th Crusade, which mostly actually never made it to the Holy Land, but stopped way short. It is partially about bad decisions and bad communication/coordination that lead the crusaders to instead attack a city even though they were explicitly forbidden to attack it by the Pope, and then not only attacking Constantinople, but actually winning. Ultimately, it was basically Christian killing Christians, with rape and mass murders.

It was a fascinating story on one of the more infamous crusades (from a Christian perspective). The reasons why they ended up attacking fellow Christians was quite interesting, yet understandable. You have to read the book to find out why, because I'm not going to spoil it!

Marc wrote: "The Fourth Crusade and the Sack of Constantinople

The Fourth Crusade and the Sack of Constantinople by Jonathan Phillips

Synopsi..."

Pretty horrendous bit of history!

Truly was.

Thanks Marc.

Yes, thank you Marc.

Good try on the citations. Add a book cover and switch around the author and you have it:

by Jonathan Phillips

Good catch Bryan - I missed it (smile)

Bentley wrote: "Good catch Bryan - I missed it (smile)"

Yeah, me too.

Kathy, I agree with you. Talking about the battle of Manzikert without referring the treason of Andronikos Doukas and the political motives behind it is an utter nonsense!

If anyone's interested, I just reviewed by Paul Stephenson:

I bought this book thinking it might be a history of Basil II's reign. Well, it did provide some information about that period. However, its main purpose was to explain when and how Basil received the sobriquet of "Bulgar-Slayer", and how that legend about Basil has been used. Interesting as far as that goes, but it doesn't go all that far. For someone fairly knowledgeable about that period in Byzantine history, as I think I am, it was not too difficult to get through. For someone just beginning to learn about Basil II and Byzantine history, it would be impenetrable.

There were a few things I noticed in the book that looked wrong. For example, the author stated once that Basil II was the great-great-grandson of Leo VI; he was the great-grandson of Leo. He also stated that Basil II was the great-great-great-grandson of Basil I, when he was the great-great-grandson. There was also at least one footnote that seemed to have no connection to the sentence being footnoted. I expect these were due to sloppy editing.

Academic Byzantine historians have done a wonderful job of taking the remains of that civilization - whether old books, coins, lead seals, artwork, etc. - and writing about it. However, almost none of their writings is easily accessible by the general public. That is a terrible shame because the Byzantines had a remarkable run through world history and deserve better.

Thanks Eileen.

Such an interesting period in history.

Not sure if anyone else has seen this book, but by Robert Ousterhout is excellent.

Here's my review:

Outstanding visual recreations of many of the Byzantium's most famous buildings. If used along with the website, Byzantium 1200, it will give a Byzantine aficionado a real sense of what the city may have looked like.

The only thing a reader needs to remember about these recreations is that they look as they did when they were newly built. However, they were all built at different times and lasted for hundreds of years. So imagining the city ever looked exactly this way would be incorrect. Still, I've found nothing better for trying to imagine what this fabulous city looked like during the height of its power.

What a great way to "see" the city.

You don't need to add the avatar for the author if a photo is unavailable.

by Robert Ousterhout (no photo)

Art and Identity in Thirteenth-Century Byzantium: Hagia Sophia and the Empire of Trebizond

by Antony Eastmond (no photo)

Synopsis:

The church of Hagia Sophia in Trebizond, built by the emperor Manuel I Grand Komnenos (1238-63) in the aftermath of the fall of Constantinople to the Fourth Crusade, is the finest surviving Byzantine imperial monument of its period. Art and Identity in Thirteenth-Century Byzantium is the first investigation of the church in more than thirty years, and is extensively illustrated in colour and black-and-white, with many images that have never previously been published.
Antony Eastmond examines the architectural, sculptural and painted decorations of the church, placing them in the context of contemporary developments elsewhere in the Byzantine world, in Seljuq Anatolia and among the Caucasian neighbours of Trebizond. Knowledge of this area has been transformed in the last twenty years, following the collapse of the Soviet Union. The new evidence that has emerged enables a radically different interpretation of the church to be reached, and raises questions of cultural interchange on the borders of the Christian and Muslim worlds of eastern Anatolia, the Caucasus and Persia.

This study uses the church and its decoration to examine questions of Byzantine identity and imperial ideology in the thirteenth century. This is central to any understanding of the period, as the fall of Constantinople in 1204 divided the Byzantine empire and forced the successor states in Nicaea, Epiros and Trebizond to redefine their concepts of empire in exile. Art is here exploited as significant historical evidence for the nature of imperial power in a contested empire. It is suggested that imperial identity was determined as much by craftsmen and expectations of imperial power as by the emperor's decree; and that this was a credible alternative Byzantine identity to that developed in the empire of Nicaea.

Byzantium in the Iconoclast Era, C.680-850: A History

by Leslie Brubaker (no photo)

Synopsis:

Iconoclasm, the debate about the legitimacy of religious art that began in Byzantium around 720 and continued for nearly one hundred and twenty years, has long held a firm grip on the historical imagination. This is the first book in English for over fifty years to survey this most elusive and fascinating period in medieval history. It is also the first book in any language to combine the expertise of two authors who are specialists in the written, archaeological and visual evidence from this period, a combination of particular importance to the iconoclasm debate. The authors have worked together to provide a comprehensive overview of the visual, written and other materials that together help clarify the complex issues of iconoclasm in Byzantium. In doing so they challenge many traditional assumptions about iconoclasm and set the period firmly in its broader political, cultural and social-economic context.

Byzantium in the Year 1000

by P. Magdalino (no photo)

Synopsis:

One thousand years ago, the Byzantine Empire was reaching the height of its revival as a medieval state. The ten contributions to this volume by scholars from six European countries re-assess key aspects of the empire's politics and culture in the long reign of the emperor Basil II, whose name has come to symbolise the greatness of Byzantium in the age before the crusades. The first five chapters deal with international diplomacy, the emperor's power, and government in Asia Minor and the frontier provinces of the Balkans and southern Italy. The second half of the volume covers aspects of law, history-writing, poetry and hagiography, and concludes with a discussion of Byzantine attitudes to the Millennium.

From the Holy Mountain: A Journey in the Shadow of Byzantium

by William Dalrymple

Synopsis:

In 587 AD, two monks set off on an extraordinary journey that would take them in an arc across the entire Byzantine world, from the shores of the Bosphorus to the sand dunes of Egypt. On the way, John Moschos and his pupil Sophronius the Sophist stayed in caves, monasteries, and remote hermitages, collecting the wisdom of the stylites and the desert fathers before their fragile world finally shattered under the great eruption of Islam. More than a thousand years later, using Moschos's writings as his guide, William Dalrymple sets off to retrace their footsteps.

Dalrymple's pilgrimage takes him through a bloody civil war in eastern Turkey, the ruins of Beirut, the vicious tensions of the West Bank, and a fundamentalist uprising in southern Egypt, and it becomes an elegy to the slowly dying civilization of Eastern Christianity and to the peoples that have kept its flame alive. From the Holy Mountain is a rich and gripping bl of history and spirituality, adventure and politics, threaded through with Dalrymple's unique sense of black comedy.

Digenis Akritis: The Grottaferrata and Escorial Versions

by Unknown (no photo)

Synopsis:

"Digenis Akritis" is Byzantium's only epic poem, telling of the exploits of a heroic warrior of "double descent" on the frontiers between Byzantine and Arab territory in Asia Minor in the ninth and tenth centuries. It survives partially in six versions, of which the two oldest are edited here. This edition and translation aims to highlight the nature of the lost poem, and to provide a guide through the maze of recent discussions about the epic and its background.

Digenes Akrites: New Approaches to Byzantine Heroic Poetry (Publications for the Centre for Hellenic Studies, King's College London, Vol 2)

by Roderick Beaton (no photo)

Synopsis:

No synopsis available on Goodreads.

Byzantium in the Seventh Century: The Transformation of a Culture

by John F. Haldon (no photo)

Synopsis:

This book presents the first analytical account in English of major developments within Byzantine culture, society and the state in the crucial formative period from c.610-717. The seventh century saw the final collapse of ancient urban civilization and municipal culture, the rise of Islam, the evolution of patterns of thought and social structure that made imperial iconoclasm possible, and the development of state apparatuses--military, civil and fiscal--typical of the middle Byzantine state. Also, during this period, orthodox Christianity finally became the unquestioned dominant culture and a religious framework of belief (to the exclusion of alternative systems, which were henceforth marginalized or proscribed).

The Crusades from the Perspective of Byzantium and the Muslim World

by Angeliki E. Laiou (no photo)

Synopsis:

The essays in this volume demonstrate that on the eastern shores of the Mediterranean there were rich, variegated, and important phenomena associated with the Crusades, and that a full understanding of the significance of the movement and its impact on both the East and West must take these phenomena into account.

Thank you Jose.

Being Byzantine: Greek Identity Before the Ottomans

by Gill Page (no photo)

Synopsis:

In 1204, the Byzantine Empire was conquered by troops from western Europe ostensibly taking part in the Fourth Crusade. This was a hugely significant event for the subjects of the Empire, radically altering the Byzantines' self-image and weakening their state for the later conflict with the Ottoman Turks. Using the theory of ethnicity - a comparatively recent tool with regard to the pre-modern era - Gill Page provides fresh insight into the late Byzantine period, providing a corrective to nationalistic interpretations of the period of Frankish rule and more broadly to generally held assumptions of ethnic hostility in the period. A systematic analysis of texts in Greek from the period 1200-1420, from both ends of the social spectrum, is backed up by an in-depth study of Frankish rule in the Peloponnese to reveal the trends in the development of Byzantine identity under the impact of the Franks."

The Emperor Theophilos and the East, 829-842: Court and Frontier in Byzantium During the Last Phase of Iconoclasm

(no photo) The Emperor Theophilos and the East, 829-842: Court and Frontier in Byzantium During the Last Phase of Iconoclasm by Juan Signes Codoer (no image)

Synopsis:

This text focuses on the impact of political relations with the East, especially the Muslim caliphate, on the reign of the last iconoclast emperor of Byzantium, Theophilos (829-842).

Byzantium: Faith and Power (1261-1557)

by Helen C. Evans (no photo)

Synopsis:

A sequel to the landmark catalogue The Glory of Byzantium, this magnificent book features work from the last golden age of the Byzantine empire. During the last centuries of the Empire of the Romans, Byzantine artists created exceptional secular and religious works that had an enduring influence on art and culture. In later years, Eastern Christian centres of power emulated and transformed Byzantine artistic styles, the Islamic world adapted motifs drawn from Byzantium's imperial past, and the development of the Renaissance from Italy to the Lowlands was deeply affected by Byzantine artistic and intellectual practices. This spectacular book presents hundreds of objects in all media from the late thirteenth through mid-sixteenth centuries. embroidered silk textiles, richly gilded metalwork, miniature icons of glass, precious metals and gemstone, and elaborately decorated manuscripts. In the accompanying text, renowned scholars discuss the art and investigate the cultural and historical interaction between these major cultures: the Christian and Islamic East and the Latin West. Continuing the story of the critically acclaimed Glory of Byzantium: Art and Culture of the Middle Byzantine Era, A.D. 843-1261, this book, the first to focus exclusively on the last centuries of the Byzantine era, is a highly anticipated publication that will not be superceded for generations.

by Helen C. Evans (no photo)

The Glory of Byzantium: Art and Culture of the Middle Byzantine Era, A.D. 843–1261

by Helen C. Evans (no photo)

Synopsis:

Covering the art of the Middle Byzantine period (843-1261 AD), this book demonstrates its wide diversity and influence through 17 scholarly essays. These are accompanied by descriptions and colour reproductions of over 400 objects, as well as pictures of architectural sites all over Eastern Europe.

Theodora: Empress of Byzantium

by Paolo Cesaretti (no photo)

Synopsis:

Theodora of Byzantium, rising from the lowest ranks of Byzantine society, became one of the most important and powerful women in history. In this gripping biography, Theodora's full story is revealed for the first time, according her a well-deserved place in the pantheon of great women.
Theodora's meager beginnings as the daughter of a bear-keeper could not have foretold her astonishing future as the wife of Justinian, the powerful ruler of the Byzantine empire. An actress at the time who was chastised for her scandalous performances, she eventually caught the attention of the young Justinian, who was no doubt charmed as much by her beauty as by her cunning.

Justinian and Theodora ruled the empire together from their rich and bustling seat of power in Constantinople, making decisions regarding the fate of their kingdom that would reverberate for centuries to come. Time and time again, Theodora's wisdom and counsel to the emperor saved Justinian's empire and assured their place in history.

Hailed by European reviewers as "Book of the Year" upon its publication in Italian, Paolo Cesaretti's book gives a balanced portrait of an intriguing figure who, in the face of those who tried to defame her, rose from the ranks of the poor to build an empire at the side of her ambitious husband.

Paolo Cesaretti, a professor of Byzantine studies, teaches at University of Chieti, Italy. In addition to many books on a variety of subjects related to Byzantine art and history, he regularly contributes to important Italian publications including Corriere della Sera.

Byzantium's Balkan Frontier: A Political Study of the Northern Balkans, 900 1204

by Paul Stephenson

Synopsis:

This is a narrative political history of the northern Balkans in the period 900-1204. It treats the Balkans as the frontier of the Byzantine empire, and considers imperial relations with the peoples living in the Balkans, including the Serbs, Croats, Bulgarians and Hungarians. It also considers responses to invasions from beyond the frontier: by steppe nomads, from beyond the Danube, and by western powers through Hungary and across the Adriatic sea. The first four crusades, 1095-1204, are considered in some detail, and extensive use is made of archaeology.

The Byzantine World

by Paul Stephenson

Synopsis:

The Byzantine World presents the latest insights of the leading scholars in the fields of Byzantine studies, history, art and architectural history, literature, and theology. Those who know little of Byzantine history, culture and civilization between AD 700 and 1453 will find overviews and distillations, while those who know much already will be afforded countless new vistas.

Each chapter offers an innovative approach to a well-known topic or a diversion from a well-trodden path. Readers will be introduced to Byzantine women and children, men and eunuchs, emperors, patriarchs, aristocrats and slaves. They will explore churches and fortifications, monasteries and palaces, from Constantinople to Cyprus and Syria in the east, and to Apulia and Venice in the west. Secular and sacred art, profane and spiritual literature will be revealed to the reader, who will be encouraged to read, see, smell and touch. The worlds of Byzantine ceremonial and sanctity, liturgy and letters, Orthodoxy and heresy will be explored, by both leading and innovative international scholars.

Ultimately, readers will find insights into the emergence of modern Byzantine studies and of popular Byzantine history that are informative, novel and unexpected, and that provide a thorough understanding of both.

The Greek Alexander Romance

by Pseudo-Callisthenes (no photo)

Synopsis:

Mystery surrounds the parentage of Alexander, the prince born to Queen Olympias. Is his father Philip, King of Macedonia, or Nectanebo, the mysterious sorcerer who seduced the queen by trickery? One thing is certain: the boy is destined to conquer the known world. He grows up to fulfil this prophecy, building a mighty empire that spans from Greece and Italy to Africa and Asia. Begun soon after the real Alexander's death and expanded in the centuries that followed, "The Greek Alexander Myth" depicts the life and adventures of one of history's greatest heroes - taming the horse Bucephalus, meeting the Amazons and his quest to defeat the King of Persia. Including such elements of fantasy as Alexander's ascent to heaven borne by eagles, this literary masterpiece brilliantly evokes a lost age of heroism.

Byzantine Matters

by Averil Cameron (no photo)

Synopsis:

For many of us, Byzantium remains "byzantine"--obscure, marginal, difficult. Despite the efforts of some recent historians, prejudices still deform popular and scholarly understanding of the Byzantine civilization, often reducing it to a poor relation of Rome and the rest of the classical world. In this book, renowned historian Averil Cameron presents an original and personal view of the challenges and questions facing historians of Byzantium today.

The book explores five major themes, all subjects of controversy. "Absence" asks why Byzantium is routinely passed over, ignored, or relegated to a sphere of its own. "Empire" reinserts Byzantium into modern debates about empire, and discusses the nature of its system and its remarkable longevity. "Hellenism" confronts the question of the "Greekness" of Byzantium, and of the place of Byzantium in modern Greek consciousness. "The Realms of Gold" asks what lessons can be drawn from Byzantine visual art, and "The Very Model of Orthodoxy" challenges existing views of Byzantine Christianity.

Throughout, the book addresses misconceptions about Byzantium, suggests why it is so important to integrate the civilization into wider histories, and lays out why Byzantium should be central to ongoing debates about the relationships between West and East, Christianity and Islam, Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy, and the ancient and medieval periods. The result is a forthright and compelling call to reconsider the place of Byzantium in Western history and imagination.

José Luís Pinto wrote: "Byzantine Matters

by Averil Cameron (no photo)

Synopsis:

For many of us, Byzantium remains "byzantine"--obscure, marginal, difficult. Despi..."

How is the writing? Academic (i.e., paragraphs that go on for a page or more), or well-written?