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Category Archives: Books
Ravenna: Capital of Empire, Crucible of Europe
A further review of Ravenna: Capital of Empire, Crucible of Europe byJudith Herrin. By Ian Thomson in The Spectator. When we refer to someone as ‘Byzantine’ we usually mean guileful or too complicated and labyrinthine in manner or speech. Perhaps … Continue reading
Ravenna: Capital of Empire, Crucible of Europe by Judith Herrin
A new book by the always readable Judith Herrin, author of Byzantium: The Surprising Life of a Medieval Empire. A riveting history of the city that led the West out of the ruins of the Roman Empire. At the end … Continue reading
Mark Whittow obituary
The historian Mark Whittow, who has died aged 60 in a road accident, did much to encourage the teaching of his subject in universities from an increasingly global perspective. His book The Making of Byzantium, 600-1025 examined the early history … Continue reading
Nine things you didn’t know about love and marriage in Byzantium
Byzantine civilization has long been regarded by many as one big curiosity. Often associated with treachery and superstition, their traditions and contributions to the ancient world are often overlooked. Referencing A Cabinet of Byzantine Curiosities, we’ve pulled together nine lesser … Continue reading
Istanbul: A Tale of Three Cities by Bettany Hughes
The goddess is back with a remarkable history of our favourite city! Istanbul has always been a place where stories and histories collide and crackle, where the idea is as potent as the historical fact. From the Qu’ran to Shakespeare, … Continue reading
Posted in Bettany Hughes, Modern Books
Tagged Bettany Hughes, Byzanitum, Constantinople, Istanbul
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Outlandish Knight: The Byzantine Life of Steven Runciman
By the time he died, in 2000 at the age of 97, Sir Steven Runciman knew that he was a “‘relict of a past age’”, the “embodiment of a…nearly mythical era.” Minoo Dinshaw’s brilliantly entertaining biography of the great historian … Continue reading
New Book: Greek Fire and its contribution to Byzantine might
We have all heard of Greek Fire. We know of the contribution that it made to certain naval victories for the Byzantines, wreaking terrible destruction on those on the receiving end. Little however is known about the weapon. How was … Continue reading
When Brothers Dwell in Unity: Byzantine Christianity and Homosexuality
This book was brought to my attention recently and I thought that it deserved to be shared with a wider audience. Same sex relationships are not an area that I feel at all confident commenting on, but what we all … Continue reading
War and peace on the Byzantine-Islamic border
Given the current events on what was the much disputed border between Rome/Byzantium and the Sassanid/Persian empires this book may make interesting reading, but the sad fact is that visiting many of the areas under discussion is now impossible unless … Continue reading
The Eagle and The Swan: A Modern Take on an Ancient Tale Launches
A new book about the ever fascinating Theodora. Following the pre-release of the first four instalments of the story, Erudition is pleased to announce that the complete edition of The Eagle and the Swan was launched on 7th November. It … Continue reading
History of Byzantium by John Scylitzes
Full of beautiful Greek handwritten text, and lively, colourful images, this famous work by John Scylitzes is available to view digitally on the World Digital Library. If you are very brave you can download the full 138 Mb pdf. This … Continue reading
Read Age of Spirituality: Late Antique and Early Christian Art, Third to Seventh Century online
Laura Diaz-Arnesto, who is the author of some of the most popular blog articles (see below) got in touch to tell me that the Metropolitan Museum of Art has made available the complete book – Age of Spirituality: Late Antique … Continue reading
Historical novels from Marie Heese and Ross Laidlaw
I have just returned from walking Hadrian’s Wall – which I highly recommend – during which I decided to read some Roman historical fiction, and I thought I would share these books with you. by Tom Sawford I came across … Continue reading
Posted in Modern Books
Tagged Attila the Hun, Byzantine, Byzantium, Constantinople, Emperor, Empress, Justinian, Marie Heese, Ross Laidlaw, Theoderic, Theodora
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The Eagle Has Two Faces: Journeys through Byzantine Europe
Alexander Billinis is an American with Greek parents. He has travelled and worked all over the Balkans and now lives with his family in Serbia, writing about the region, in particular the trials and tribulations of the Greeks. This article … Continue reading
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