The History Book Club discussion

I think (I haven't read that book yet, but it's on my shorter reading list) she wrote in an academical style. At least, as her book is about modern perceptions of the medieval Roman Empire and the issues historiography faces today, it isn't for those who want to be introduced to the theme, but I've heard good comments on it.

José Luís Pinto wrote: "I think (I haven't read that book yet, but it's on my shorter reading list) she wrote in an academical style. At least, as her book is about modern perceptions of the medieval Roman Empire and the ..."

I seem to recall reading a chapter in a book about different aspects of Medieval life that she wrote. It was written in the typical impenetrable academic style that so many Byzantine historians have adopted. Some of them are better than others, but none of them writes in an easily accessible fashion.

Upcoming book
Release date: February 18th 2015

Law, Power, and Imperial Ideology in the Iconoclast Era: C.680-850

by Humphreys M T G (no photo)

Synopsis:

Law was central to the ancient Roman's conception of themselves and their empire. Yet what happened to Roman law and the position it occupied ideologically during the turbulent years of the Iconoclast era, c.680-850, is seldom explored and little understood. The numerous legal texts of this period, long ignored or misused by scholars, shed new light on this murky but crucial era, when the Byzantine world emerged from the Roman Empire.
Law, Power, and Imperial Ideology in the Iconoclast Era uses Roman law and canon law to chart the various responses to these changing times, especially the rise of Islam, from Justinian II's Christocentric monarchy to the Old Testament-inspired Isaurian dynasty. The Isaurian emperors sought to impose their control and morally purge the empire through the just application of law, sponsoring the creation of a series of concise, utilitarian texts that punished crime, upheld marriage, and protected property. This volume explores how such legal reforms were part of a reformulation of ideology and state structures that underpinned the transformation from the late antique Roman Empire to medieval Byzantium.

The Empire of Manuel I Komnenos, 1143-1180

by Paul Magdalino (no photo)

Synopsis:

The reign of Manuel I (1143-1180) marked the high point of the revival of the Byzantine empire under the Comnenian dynasty. It was however followed by a rapid decline, leading to the sack of Constantinople by the Fourth Crusade in 1204. This book, the first devoted to Manuel's reign for over 80 years, reevaluates the emperor and his milieu in the light of recent scholarship. It shows that his foreign policy was a natural response to the Western crusading movement and the expansionism of the German emperor Frederick Barbarossa. It also shows that what he ruled was more than the impoverished rump of a once great empire, or a society whose development had been arrested by a repressive regime. The twelfth century is presented here as a distinctive, creative phase in Byzantine history, when the empire maintained existing traditions and trends while adapting to a changing world.

Engineering an Empire: The Byzantines (Video)



This is a documentary by History Channel about the medieval Roman Empire. It has its historical flaws, but it's interesting nonetheless because there aren't many documentaries on this phase of the Roman Empire.

Engineering an Empire: The Byzantines

Source: History Channel

Eileen wrote: "José Luís Pinto wrote: "I think (I haven't read that book yet, but it's on my shorter reading list) she wrote in an academical style. At least, as her book is about modern perceptions of the mediev...”

Interesting Eileen.

Heraclius, Emperor of Byzantium

by Walter E. Kaegi, Jr. (no photo)

Synopsis:

This book evaluates the life and empire of the pivotal yet controversial Byzantine emperor Heraclius (ad. 610-641), a contemporary of the Prophet Muhammad. His stormy war-torn reign is critical for understanding the background to fundamental changes in the Balkans and the Middle East, including the emergence of Islam. Heraclius' skills enabled him to capture and recapture important territory, including Jerusalem, Syria and Egypt. Yet, they proved to be of little value when he confronted early Islamic conquests.

Thank you Jose for all of the adds to this thread and others in the folder.

You're welcome, Bentley.

The History of Byzantium (podcast)



Description: “The History of Byzantium” is a podcast dedicated to the story of the Roman Empire from the fall of the West in 476 to the fall of Constantinople in 1453.

Link: History of Byzantium

José Luís Pinto wrote: "The History of Byzantium (podcast)



Description: “The History of Byzantium” is a podcast dedicated to the story of the Roman Empire from the fall of the West in 476 to the fall of Constantinople..."

Who is doing these podcasts? Lars Brownworth had a series a few years back, but I did not see anything at the website referring to him.

Eileen wrote: "José Luís Pinto wrote: "The History of Byzantium (podcast)



Description: “The History of Byzantium” is a podcast dedicated to the story of the Roman Empire from the fall of the West in 476 to th..."

That's a fair question, Eileen. Brownworth isn't the author of this podcast. From what I an figure out the person who is doing this is Robin Pierson.

This is a book on Belisarius I'm starting to read which narrates his brilliant campaigns in the Persian border, Africa and Italy.

Belisarius: The Last Roman General

by Ian Hughes (no photo)

Synopsis

Belisarius (c. 505–565 AD) was the greatest general of the Eastern Roman Empire and is among history’s most notable military personalities. At the age of 29, he twice defeated the Persians and reconquered North Africa from the Vandals, before going on to regain the Italian peninsula from the Ostrogoths, including the Eternal City, Rome. Fighting in the name of Justinian I, Belisarius recaptured large portions of the original territory of the ancient Roman Empire. However, Byzantium was both unwilling and incapable of retaining much of Belisarius’s hard-won advances, and soon after his death, the empire once again retracted.

In Belisarius: The Last Roman General, historian Ian Hughes recounts the life of this great soldier. In addition, he explains the evolution of classical Roman armies and systems of warfare into those of the Byzantine Empire, as well as those of their chief enemies, the Persians, Goths, and Vandals. Based on ancient source and drawing on a wealth of modern research, Belisarius’s career is set in the context of the turbulent times in which he lived and his reputation is reassessed to give a balanced portrait of this neglected giant among ancient commanders.

Basil II and the Governance of Empire (976-1025)

by Catherine Holmes (no photo)

Synopsis:

This is the first book-length study in English of the Byzantine emperor Basil II, the "Bulgar-slayer." Basil presided over a Byzantium which was the superpower of the eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East in the century before the Crusades. Catherine Holmes peels away the layers of later interpretations to reveal an empire that was governed by a potent mixture of subtle persuasion and brute force.

Voice, Signature, Mask: The Byzantine Author by Stratis Papaioannou (Lecture)



Description: A very interesting lecture by Stratis Papaioannou (Brown) at the American School of Classical Studies, Athens (October 2014).

"Byzantine literature remains relatively exotic for modern readers, unlike its predecessor, Classical literature, or commensurate aspects of Byzantine culture, such as visual art.This lecture ventures a comprehensive view of Byzantine literature by examining notions and practices of authorship. Though neither classical nor medieval Greek have a single word that corresponds exactly to our “authorship,” Byzantine rhetoric and manuscript book culture reveal an intricate web of meanings for what an author is. Vacillating between authenticity and creative impersonation, Byzantine authors signal modernity."

Source: Byzantine News

Historical justice being done to the medieval Roman Empire by one of the greatest new scholars in the field.



OSU professor: The Byzantines were Romans (Interview excerpts)

"Conventional historical thinking is that the Roman Empire "fell" in A.D. 476, when the Germanic tribes finished their occupation of western Europe by deposing the last Western Roman emperor.

Conventional historical thinking is that the Roman Empire "fell" in A.D. 476, when the Germanic tribes finished their occupation of western Europe by deposing the last Western Roman emperor.

But Byzantine and classical scholar Anthony Kaldellis, a professor in the Department of Classics of The Ohio State University, argues that not only did the eastern half of the empire survive for centuries, it kept its Roman identity, even though its citizens mostly spoke Greek.

His new book, The Byzantine Republic: People and Power in New Rome" (Harvard University Press), defies the received wisdom in Byzantine studies by insisting that Byzantium, as the Eastern Roman Empire is usually known, was a Roman republic in which the people were sovereign. Although it had an emperor, he did not rule as the absolute monarch that he's usually depicted as, Kaldellis asserts. His startling book is aimed at scholars but is well written enough to interest general readers who enjoy history.

Kaldellis' official university website lists 18 different books that he wrote, translated or edited, and numerous articles, book chapters and reviews. His translations include major Byzantine historians such as Prokopios, the major source for figures such as Justinian I and Belisarius. He's currently working on a narrative history of Byzantium from 955 to 1097 A.D., just before the beginning of the Crusades, and he has other projects in the works. He also shoulders a full load of classes, including classes in Latin, Greek, classical literature and classical history."

See the interview here: Interview with Anthony Kaldellis

Source: Sandusky Register

Image source: D'Amato, Raffaele; Rava, Giuseppe. (2012). Byzantine Imperial Guardsmen 925–1025. Osprey Publishing, Newbury.

by Anthony Kaldellis

by Raffaele D'Amato (no photo) and Giuseppe Rava (no photo)

José Luís Pinto wrote: "Historical justice being done to the medieval Roman Empire by one of the greatest new scholars in the field.

OSU professor: The Byzantines were Romans (Interview excerpts)

"Conventional historica..."

Jose - thanks so much for the link to the interview and sharing this author's books. They sound great!

Eileen wrote: "José Luís Pinto wrote: "Historical justice being done to the medieval Roman Empire by one of the greatest new scholars in the field.

OSU professor: The Byzantines were Romans (Interview excerpts)
..."

You're welcome. Kaldellis is a brilliant and very controversial scholar (his latest book will surely be the source of many controversies regarding the extent of imperial power in the medieval Roman Empire). I need almost urgently to read his translation of The Secret History.

by Prokopios (no photo)

José Luís Pinto wrote: "Eileen wrote: "José Luís Pinto wrote: "Historical justice being done to the medieval Roman Empire by one of the greatest new scholars in the field.

OSU professor: The Byzantines were Romans (Inter..."

Why is Kaldellis controversial? If you haven't read Procopios' Secret History before, prepare to be scandalized (in a 6th century, Byzantine sort of way).

It would be great to get some fresh blood in the Byzantine historian genre. Most of the historians, while doing fabulous research, are pedantic and tedious in their writing styles. Before reading some of these authors' works, I had never come across paragraphs that lasted for more than a page!

Eileen wrote: "José Luís Pinto wrote: "Eileen wrote: "José Luís Pinto wrote: "Historical justice being done to the medieval Roman Empire by one of the greatest new scholars in the field.

OSU professor: The Byzan..."

He's controversial because he defies many conventional wisdoms in the so called "Byzantine Studies". For instance, he claims in his new book that the medieval Roman Empire wasn't ruled by a theocratic and absolutist Emperor and that the Empire was in fact a monarchic republic despite all the symbolisms and propaganda around the Emperor.

He has a point. It was much more meritocratic than western kingdoms were. I might not go so far as to say it was a republic, but it did not really become dynastic until the Comnene.

I prefer to read his book first and only then launch my judgement, as I don't want to be unfair. (smile)

The Byzantine Economy

by Angeliki E. Laiou (no photo)

Synopsis:

This is a concise survey of the economy of the Byzantine Empire from the fourth century AD to the fall of Constantinople in 1453. Organised chronologically, the book addresses key themes such as demography, agriculture, manufacturing and the urban economy, trade, monetary developments, and the role of the state and ideology. It provides a comprehensive overview of the economy with an emphasis on the economic actions of the state and the productive role of the city and non-economic actors, such as landlords, artisans and money-changers. The final chapter compares the Byzantine economy with the economies of western Europe and concludes that the Byzantine economy was one of the most successful examples of a mixed economy in the pre-industrial world. This is the only concise general history of the Byzantine economy and will be essential reading for students of economic history, Byzantine history and medieval history more generally.

A book on the last Roman Emperor: Constantine XI. He's really the person who deserves the title of Ultimus Romanorum.

The Immortal Emperor: The Life and Legend of Constantine Palaiologos, Last Emperor of the Romans

by Donald M. Nicol (no photo)

Synopsis:

Constantine XI Palaiologos was the last Christian Emperor of Constantinople and Byzantium. In 1453, when Constantinople fell to the Ottoman Turks, he was last seen fighting at the city walls, but the actual circumstances of his death have remained surrounded in myth. In the years that followed it was said that he was not dead but sleeping - the 'immortal emperor' turned to marble, who would one day be awakened by an angel and drive the Turks out of his city and empire. Donald Nicol's book tells the gripping story of Constantine's life and death, and ends with an intriguing account of claims by reputed descendants of his family - some remarkably recent - to be heirs to the Byzantine throne.

José Luís Pinto wrote: "A book on the last Roman Emperor: Constantine XI. He's really the person who deserves the title of Ultimus Romanorum.

The Immortal Emperor: The Life and Legend of Constantine Palaiologos, Last Emp..."

Good book, but sad story.

Eileen wrote: "José Luís Pinto wrote: "A book on the last Roman Emperor: Constantine XI. He's really the person who deserves the title of Ultimus Romanorum.

The Immortal Emperor: The Life and Legend of Constanti..."

Indeed. Constantine XI lived clearly in the wrong era for him.

José Luís Pinto wrote: "Eileen wrote: "José Luís Pinto wrote: "A book on the last Roman Emperor: Constantine XI. He's really the person who deserves the title of Ultimus Romanorum.

The Immortal Emperor: The Life and Lege..."

I can't imagine it was the right era for anyone, except maybe Mehmet II.

For the Turks these were definitely good times (smile). I meant that Constantine XI was a good Emperor and his deeds greater if he had reigned in another era when the Romans were more powerful.

Perhaps. He put his heart and soul into trying to save what was left of the empire. I can think of a few examples of rulers, faced with the ruinous situation he was in, would have caved long before that final battle.

Circus Factions: Blues and Greens at Rome and Byzantium

by Alan Cameron (no photo)

Synopsis:

A very interesting even if outdated study on the "circus factions" which destroys most myths around them and sheds a lot of light on their development in Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages.

I'm delighted to have discovered this History Book Club thread! The Byzantines have been growing on me lately. I had such a misconception about their empire; their technical prowess and legal systems, both inherited directly from the Romans, are aspects that I never appreciated before. I had not even realized that they thought of themselves and called themselves Romans.

Last year I enjoyed From the Holy Mountain:
by William Dalrymple

Right now I'm reading and enjoying
by Judith Herrin

For some excellent computer graphics of Constantinople in the 12th century check out this terrific web site: http://www.byzantium1200.com/

Welcome to the medieval threads, Hana! We also have an Ancient History and a Roman Empire folder which might also suit you given its importance to "Byzantine" (I hate this word) History.

Judith Herrin's book was already read here 3 years ago, but I heard it's a decent book, even if it has many historical flaws.

The "Byzantines" didn't just call themselves Roman, but were also Romans. You could also say their ceremonial and armies had evolved from late Antique Rome and its culture was also a direct heir to the Greco-Roman classic and late antique cultures. I'm glad you have an interest into this topic and we're all open to dialogue here, so if you have any question or comment to make on this subject, you're completely at will to do it. Don't be shy! (smile)

Thanks, Jose Luis.

I'm liking Herrin's sort of breezy style and her credentials are impressive. What are the historical issues? Meanwhile, Herrin is a starting place for me and I'm delighted to join the conversation.

by Judith Herrin

She confuses Aurelian with Septimius Severus, says Stilicho ruled Italy after the last Emperor in the Western provinces Romulus Augustulus had been deposed in 476 (the last Emperor was technically Julius Nepos, but the worst is that it was Odoacer and not Stilicho, who had been a loyal Roman in the times of Theodosius I and Honorius almost a century before that year), claims that Christianity was the only religion which offered an afterlife and so on. I'm not a fan of her style of History in that book, but when a friend wrote that on his review I was apalled because someone like Judith Herrin should know much better.

Judith Herrin

Thanks José Luís. I'll keep those caveats in mind as I read on.

An amazing book that has not been recommended here is the following, The Last Centuries of Byzantium, 1261 1453:

by Donald M. Nicol (no photo)

Awesome story of the last centuries of the Empire, since the restoration with the re-capture of Constantinople till the fall against the Ottomans in 1453.

Thank you very much for your recommendation! Nicol is a very good historian for the period of the Palaiologoi dynasty and the book you presented is a reference for that timeframe.

Please, could you be kind and correct your quote? You should do it the following way:

by Donald M. Nicol (no photo)

Emperor and Priest: The Imperial Office in Byzantium

by Gilbert Dragon (no photo)

Synopsis:

The figure of the Byzantine emperor, a ruler who sometimes was also designated a priest, has long fascinated the western imagination. Written by one of the world's leading Byzantine scholars, this classic book studies in detail the imperial union of "two powers," temporal and spiritual, against the broad background of the relationship between church and state and religious and political spheres.

The Black Sea: A History

I've just started this one. It's a short and very readable survey of the civilizations surrounding the Black Sea, with some fascinating insights into the way the sea and the land shaped cultures. I particularly like all the extended quotes from ancient authors.

Starting with the ancient Greeks, The Black Sea: A History covers ancient Greek and Roman imperial exploration, and colonization of Black Sea towns. These two chapters are followed by an excellent section on the Byzantine Empire, with particular emphasis on Byzantine relationships with other regional cultures, as well as the rise of Venice, Genoa and Pisa as trading powers in the Black Sea. The long continuation of Byzantine power in isolated Black sea enclaves was interesting, as was King's analysis of the Ottoman's rise to power.

It is striking how much continuity and interconnection of culture there was throughout the region despite the gradual influx of new groups and changes of power in Constantinople. In particular, King cites records of regular intermarriage between prominent Byzantine and Turkoman families. "...the eventual conqueror of Constantinople, Sultan Mehmet II, actually had a reasonable claim to the Byzantine throne: He was the product of multiple marriages between Byzantine princesses and Ottoman sultans that stretched back more than a century."

There is a grand, sweeping quality to the narrative and a focus on the military and political that's filling in a lot of the gaps left after my read of Byzantium: The Surprising Life Of A Medieval Empire. They make a nice introductory pair.

by Charles King

by Judith Herrin

Thank you, Hana! Despite the trading importance of the Black Sea to the medieval Roman Empire, in what way is it really an introduction to medieval Rome? I couldn't understand it.

Change in Byzantine Culture in the Eleventh and Twelfth Centuries

by Alexander P. Kazhdan (no photo)

Synopsis:

Byzantium, that dark sphere on the periphery of medieval Europe, is commonly regarded as the immutable residue of Rome's decline. In this highly original and provocative work, Alexander Kazhdan and Ann Wharton Epstein revise this traditional image by documenting the dynamic social changes that occurred during the eleventh and twelfth centuries.

José Luís wrote: "Thank you, Hana! Despite the trading importance of the Black Sea to the medieval Roman Empire, in what way is it really an introduction to medieval Rome?"

I think what I've been finding so helpful is King's emphasis on trade and trade routes--that was the link that crossed decades, even millennia, and certainly empires. Trade routes enabled and encouraged this more globalized, syncretistic culture; the long term profitability of trade routes is one of the reasons Roman, Greek and the merged Greco-Roman Byzantine culture persisted as long as it did.

by Charles King

Hana, I see that Jose or Katie have not responded to you as yet.

You are very correct in your interpretations of the linkages that existed between trade and trade routes. Thank you so much for your comment Hana.

Thank you, Bentley. I spent over a month in Turkey some years ago and among the most fascinating sites were the cave dwellings, monasteries and churches of Cappadocia, most of which date from the Byzantine period.

There were vast underground cavern-complexes and some cities of caves carved into cliffs. And there were simple rooms, tiny little spaces, carved out of natural cone-like towers of soft limestone. Many had frescoes--some figurative, others in a more iconoclastic style.

I will never forget them, but they remain very mysterious to me. Have any of you ever seen any books about the history and culture of that region?

I have - I also was in Istanbul and saw the beautiful Hagia Sophia and the mosaics - so much history in that area. I wish I had a month to spend like you did.

Hana, I'm sorry if I was a bit unpolite when I asked you about the usefulness of King's book. I was just a bit concerned because it didn't seem to have enough focus on the medieval Roman Empire, but now I understand your point. Thank you for sharing this book with us. :)

Life and Society in Byzantine Cappadocia

by Michael Decker (no photo)

Synopsis:

Cappadocia, in central Turkey, is an unforgettable region. A land best known for its striking volcanic landscape pocked with underground cities and richly ornamented churches, Byzantine Cappadocia has long been considered a sparsely inhabited holy land of solitaries and monasteries. This is the first history of a vital area that elucidates key aspects of economy, faith and society along the frontier of the thousand-year Byzantine Empire. Drawing on extensive textual and archaeological evidence, this book reveals images of a dynamic landscape and a Christian society at whose apex lay a fluid body of aristocratic elites. The land over which they lorded was far more populous, diverse and economically vibrant than has been supposed and supported a caste of wealthy, intensely competitive landowners. The relics of settlements and beautifully decorated churches that they left behind obscure the frequent violence of frontier life, in which the landed aristocrats battled with one another, the Muslim Arabs, and even the emperor for power.

Hanna, this book might be helpful for you.

Not to worry, Jose Luis! You pushed me to clarify my writing, which is always something I value in my GR friends :) That looks like a splendid find on Cappadocia.

Byzantium Triumphant: The Military History of the Byzantines 959-1025

by Julian Romane (no photo)

Synopsis:

Byzantium Triumphant describes in detail the wars of the Byzantine emperors Nicephorus II Phocas, his nephew and assassin John I Tzimiskes, and Basil II. The operations, battles and drama of their various bitter struggles unfold, depicting the new energy and improved methods of warfare developed in the late tenth century. These emperors were at war on all fronts, fighting for survival and dominance against enemies including the Arab caliphates, Bulgars (Basil II was dubbed by later authors 'the Bulgar Slayer') and the Holy Roman Empire, not to mention dealing with civil wars and rebellions. Julian Romane's careful research, drawing particularly on the evidence of Byzantine military manuals, allows him to produce a gripping narrative underpinned by a detailed understanding of the Byzantine tactics, organization, training and doctrine. While essentially a military history, there is, inevitably with the Byzantine emperors, a healthy dose of court intrigue, assassination and political skulduggery too.