From the 4th to the 15th century AD, the influence of the Byzantine Empire stretched from Spain to Egypt. However, its reception in the Western world was limited to the impression of a politically absolutist and deeply religious empire, a prison of spirit and soul.
Byzantium, however, was a far more complex culture and society than Enlightenment critics of the West would have liked it to be or than romantic adherents were willing to admit, and it is precisely this complexity that makes it so fascinating.
Peter Sarris, with captivating details, images, and maps, explores the blend of Greek and Roman culture at the heart of the Byzantine Empire, documenting its struggle for survival against external challenges and threats, and clearly presenting an imperial history of grandeur and corruption, political prowess and military exhaustion, religious propaganda and secular intrigue, contraction, and ultimately, decline.
An enthralling narrative of a great empire.
