Lost World of Byzantium
For more than a millennium, the Byzantine Empire presided over the juncture between East and West, as well as the transition from the classical to the modern world. Jonathan Harris, a leading scholar of Byzantium, eschews the usual run-through of emperors and battles and instead recounts the empire's extraordinary history by focusing each chronological chapter on an archetypal figure, family, place, or event. Harris's action-packed introduction presents a civilization rich in contrasts, combining orthodox Christianity with paganism, and classical Greek learning with Roman power. Frequently assailed by numerous armies-including those of Islam-Byzantium nonetheless survived and even flourished by dint of its somewhat unorthodox foreign policy and its sumptuous art and architecture, which helped to embed a deep sense of Byzantine identity in its people. Enormously engaging and utilizing a wealth of sources to cover all major aspects of the empire's social, political, military, religious, cultural, and artistic history, Harris's study illuminates the very heart of Byzantine civilization and explores its remarkable and lasting influence on its neighbors and on the modern world.
About the Author
Jonathan Harris is Reader in Byzantine History, Royal Holloway, University of London. His research interests lie mainly in the later period of Byzantine history (1100-1453) and in the interaction between Byzantium and Western Europe, especially during the Crusades and the Italian Renaissance. His previous books include "Byzantium and the Crusades" and "Constantinople: Capital of Byzantium".
Reviews
"For long consigned to the shadows of history, ignored, derided or caricatured, the preserve of academic specialists or Greek nationalists, the thousand-year Byzantine empire is only now belatedly emerging into the light of recognition as a major force in the development of Europe, the Mediterranean and the Near East. In this lively, learned, enlightening and accessible new study, Jonathan Harris explores and explodes past misconceptions by focusing on ten pivotal figures across ten centuries to demonstrate the protean quality of a civilisation that masked vibrant, often desperate change behind a show of immemorial continuity. Harris's deft, engaging use of primary evidence allows Byzantium to reveal itself while always directing the reader to what is significant and illuminating, from vivid stories of individual drama to searching analysis of the social and cultural structures of the most lasting political institution of the Christian world" – Christopher Tyerman, author of "God's War: A New History of the Crusades"
"Jonathan Harris has done it again. His timely new history of Byzantium avoids 'the usual suspects' and instead offers a fresh take on this fabled but hidden civilisation. Each chapter goes straight to the heart of history, opening a carefully chosen window onto one era in Byzantium's thousand-year lifespan. Frame by revealing frame, a story unfolds that is as lively and gripping as it is original and insightful. A hugely rewarding read from this generation's most exciting Byzantine historian" – Colin Wells, author of "Sailing From Byzantium: How a Lost Empire Shaped the World"
"Given the glut of introductory books on Byzantium now available there is the danger that another volume could be redundant, but Jonathan Harris's book is fresh and exciting. He writes with great verve and makes excellent use of case studies and anecdotes, summing things up efficiently and effectively. Harris rightly remarks on how Byzantium is sidelined and that its long survival needs to be appreciated and explained. This book provides a very valuable service" – Shaun Tougher, author of "The Reign of Leo VI"
