- Hardcover: 432 pages
- Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf; 1 Amer ed edition (Mar 1997)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0679450882
- ISBN-13: 978-0679450887
- Product Dimensions: 23.4 x 16.5 x 4.1 cm
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,556,181 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Product Description
Published to coincide with a major exhibition on Byzantium at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in the spring of 1997, Byzantium tells the dramatic story of Byzantium, from its beginnings in A.D. 330, providing readers with a spirited, gripping, and original account of a great lost civilization and its magnificent artistic heritage. 24 pp. of illustrations, 8 pp. in full color. Size C. 432 pp. 20,000 print.
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First Sentence
In the beginning was the word - surely one of the most magically resonant place-names in all history. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
In the beginning was the word - surely one of the most magically resonant place-names in all history. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
Format:Paperback
I thoroughly enjoyed Norwich's work. I have gone back to reference this book several times in my subsequent reading. The book attempts to squash a whale in a sardine can and I think it succeeds. The book explains how and why the Eastern Roman Empire was created. It describes why the Eastern and Western empires were never able to truly reunite despite the external pressures to do so. Norwich goes through the history of each ruler of Byzantium including how he got there, what he achieved or lost, and how he met his end. The book describes Iconoclasm and briefly discusses other major theological controversies. The political backdrop and rivaling factions are explained. Norwich explains the interaction between the Crusades and Crusader States with Byzantium. Accomplishing all of this in one book is an amazing task.
The work does not delve deeply into many events or issues that you may want more information on, but it completes its objective of providing a concise history. If you are a new reader and you want in depth information on every topic during this 1000+ year span and are willing to dedicate the time, I would suggest getting the three volume work that this book is based on. (Byzantium: The Early Centuries: The Early Centuries v. 1, Byzantium (II): The Apogee, Byzantium: The Decline and Fall: 3).
Norwich has a smooth inviting style of writing that keeps the subject interesting. You will find yourself amazed that many emperors followed the same path to destruction. You will find yourself wondering if one event had happened differently the whole world we live in would be drastically different. This book will show you how important Byzantium was to the entire Western civilization, this empire that most people know nothing about. I recommend this book to anyone that has the slightest interest in the history of western civilization.
For those interested in history and video games, you may also enjoy Rome: Total War - Barbarian Invasion Expansion Pack (PC CD), where you can play as Byzantium.
The work does not delve deeply into many events or issues that you may want more information on, but it completes its objective of providing a concise history. If you are a new reader and you want in depth information on every topic during this 1000+ year span and are willing to dedicate the time, I would suggest getting the three volume work that this book is based on. (Byzantium: The Early Centuries: The Early Centuries v. 1, Byzantium (II): The Apogee, Byzantium: The Decline and Fall: 3).
Norwich has a smooth inviting style of writing that keeps the subject interesting. You will find yourself amazed that many emperors followed the same path to destruction. You will find yourself wondering if one event had happened differently the whole world we live in would be drastically different. This book will show you how important Byzantium was to the entire Western civilization, this empire that most people know nothing about. I recommend this book to anyone that has the slightest interest in the history of western civilization.
For those interested in history and video games, you may also enjoy Rome: Total War - Barbarian Invasion Expansion Pack (PC CD), where you can play as Byzantium.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
102 reviews
66 of 70 people found the following review helpful
An Introduction That Leaves You Hungry For More
8 Jun 2000
Format:Hardcover
An excellent introduction to the Byzantium Empire. Unlike most works written by British historians, this is very readable and not stuffy. Although this book races across 1,000 years of history in about 400 pages, it does an excellent job of synopsis. The record is full of succession struggles, with the losers usually castrated or beheaded. It is amazing how much energy the Byzantines wasted on theological disputes that continually undermined the morale of the empire. Norwich clearly explains these important but complicated theological issues which ultimately shaped Byzantium's destiny. On the military side, Norwich minimizes the impact of the defeat at Manzikert in 1071 and instead stresses that the sack of Constantinople by the Crusaders, the depredations of the Catalonian mercenaries and the plague all did more real harm. Norwich could have had more detail on the Byzantine military and finances, both of which were crucial to the rise and decline of this great empire. The political drama of the continuous succession struggles is extremely well-told. Once readers complete this excellent introduction, they will be eager to read the original full-length three volume set.
27 of 27 people found the following review helpful
Read the long one!
13 Aug 2006
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I began reading the Short History of Byzantium but soon became both frustrated and tantalized by the skipping-along-in-history that was necessary in order to condense a three-voume work into one. I have just purchased Volume I and am really enjoying it. I compared some passages between the two versions and found that, as I suspected, a lot of the material that made this history interesting and coherent had been left out in the condensation. It shouldn't take too much longer to read the whole thing, and you'll understand and remember a lot more.
22 of 23 people found the following review helpful
Zooming through Byzantium
9 Aug 2003
Format:Paperback
A Short History of Byzantium is John Julius Norwich's abridgement of his 3 volume work. He begins his book with an apology for skimming so quickly over the surface and vows that he has left out nothing important (adding that if you want more detail, the three-volume version awaits you). I knew virtually nothing about this fascinating period of history. I found the book extremely informative, as well as quite lively and entertaining, with a fabulous cast of characters. My favorite was the wily Theodora, who rises from sex show performer to Empress of Byzantium. (I also liked it when characters I knew from other contexts made an appearance, such as Charlemagne and Eleanor of Aquitaine.) This book also gave me a much better understanding of such things as the crusades, the complex relationship between the Catholic Church, the Byzantine Church and the Byzantine state; and the rivalry between Venice and Genoa. Just as importantly the book has also made me curious about some other things. I'd really like to know more about the Ottoman Empire after reading A Short History of Byzantium.
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