The Lost World of Byzantium, Jonathan Harris
The Lost World of Byzantium, Jonathan Harris
List: $19.99 | Sale: $13.99
Club: $9.99

The Lost World of Byzantium

Author: Jonathan Harris

Narrator: Gareth Richards

Unabridged: 12 hr 29 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 08/22/2023


Synopsis

The acclaimed author of Byzantium and the Crusades "offers a fresh take on this fabled but hidden civilization" across eleven centuries of history (Colin Wells).

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. Rather than recounting the standard chronology of emperors and battles, leading Byzantium scholar Jonathan Harris focuses on a succession of archetypal figures, families, places, and events.

Harris's introduction presents a civilization rich in contrasts, combining orthodox Christianity with paganism, and classical Greek learning with Roman power. Though frequently assailed by numerous armies, Byzantium survived by dint of its unorthodox foreign policy. Over time, its sumptuous art and architecture flourished, helping to establish a deep sense of Byzantine identity in its people.

Synthesizing 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 heart of Byzantine civilization and explores its remarkable and lasting influence on the modern world.

About Jonathan Harris

Jonathan Harris is professor of the history of Byzantium at Royal Holloway, University of London. He lives in London.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Melisende on February 25, 2017

Easy to read history of the Byzantine Empire to its fall in 1453. This is a great starting point for the beginner to Byzantine studies.......more

Goodreads review by Liviu on September 04, 2015

nice illustrations but stick with the JJ Norwich masterpiece (preferably the 3 volume complete edition) as this is like the Cliff Notes of that, very short, sketchy and not really succeeding to describe a millennium and more of vanished history......more

Goodreads review by Sem on February 24, 2019

O călătorie superbă în lumea creștinătății antice, a bizanțului. O prezentare extrem de detaliată a moștenirii bizantine, elaborată într-o manieră ușor de cititi, informativă și antrenantă. Avem multe de învățat din istorie!......more

Goodreads review by Italo on October 20, 2015

Byzantium is the name we give to the Eastern Roman Empire, but they called themselves Romans. They carried on the traditions of the Roman Empire until they were defeated after 1000 years (the book spans from 330 to 1453). The Byzantine Empire was the Christian Roman Empire. The author offers not a c......more

Goodreads review by Olia on May 05, 2019

I really enjoyed how Harris presented this part of our story. Byzantine Empire lasted over a thousand years and proved that isolation and wars are not always the way to prevail. However, Walls of Constantinople held strong whenever these tactics failed.......more