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| A Concise History of Byzantium | 
 enlarge | Author: Warren Treadgold
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
Category: Book
List Price: $33.95
Buy New: $15.29
You Save: $18.66 (55%)
Buy New/Used from $15.29
Avg. Customer Rating:  (9 reviews)
Sales Rank: 75595
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published)
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 287
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.6
ISBN: 0333718305
Dewey Decimal Number: 949.502
EAN: 9780333718308
ASIN: 0333718305
Publication Date: September 6, 2002
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
DIVBetween 285 AD, when Byzantium first separated from the Western Roman Empire, and 1461, when the last Byzantine splinter state disappeared, the Byzantine state and society underwent many crises, triumphs, declines, and recoveries. Spanning twelve centuries and three continents, the Byzantine empire linked the ancient and modern worlds, shaping and transmitting Greek, Roman, and Christian traditions--including the Greek classics, Roman law, and Christian theology--that remain vigorous today, not only in Eastern Europe and the Middle East, but throughout western civilization. This book examines the causes behind Byzantium's successes, failures, and remarkable longevity. The author explains the paradoxes of Byzantium's long history by showing how Byzantine political leadership, military strategy, cultural attitudes, and social, institutional, and demographic changes combined with the strengths and weaknesses of the empire's enemies. Both a history and an adventure story, iA Concise History of Byzantium/i will inform, entertain, and delight readers.br/DIV
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| Customer Reviews: Read 4 more reviews...
 Partial and incomplete. July 12, 2005
3 out of 11 found this review helpful
I bought this book because of my interest in the Byzantine culture and because, as the title suggests, it promised to be a concise summary of the Eastern Roman Empire millenary history.br /br /It has been a true disappointment.br /br /The book is written with a pleasant style and the writer is reputed to be an expert in Byzantine history, but nonetheless I couldn't enjoy it. br /br /There are many features I did not like. br /The most annoying (to me at least) is no doubt in the early parts of the survey: the idea - restated many times - of the Byzantine as the empire of virtue (words are mine) opposed to the depravity of the former classical civilization. This has been due - according to the author - to the moralizing and healthy effect of Christian ethics, a feature that - it is suggested - contributed to the salvation of the Eastern part of the empire. This generalization is being corroborated by highly suspicious arguments: from Plato's (dubious) condemnation of homosexuality (at pag.64 in my edition) and the (reiterated) enforcement of laws against sodomy, to the pernicious influence of the pagan schools and the "modest" side effect of their forced closing by Justinian, up to the idea of roman Arcadian republican virtues debased with times, but I could list many more examples...br /But if the Eastern Empire found salvation BECAUSE of his higher morality, must we believe that the western part of the Empire perished because its own lack of virtue...? br /I fear the moment we do this, even if in the right, there may be a fair chance we find ourselves beyond the boundary of History proper... br /Besides sometimes the reiteration of laws about public morality can be the spy of LACK of moral responsibility... (laws are done to cure problems)br /br /Meanwhile there is no global perspective of the millenarian history of the Byzantine Empire and many legitimate question are left unanswered.br /In what relevant features the Byzantine empire was different from the former Roman Empire? br /And from the Western Roman Empire?br /In what consisted the difference between the Orthodox and the "Catholic" Church? Was the schism just the result of caprice because of disagreement on unleavened bread and the word "filioque" in the Nicean Credo?br /What is the cultural dimension of the Eastern Empire? What about its cultural and political elites? The channels of transmission and diffusion of the former classical culture? And the conflict between lay and religious cultural traditions?br /br /The essay is reduced to an unending gallery of emperors, some capable and others weak... and the decline of the empire inevitably is totally ascribed to the weak ones who were not able to retain and enlarge their possessions. Sometimes this method sounds similar to a modern essay on corporate governance, where the CEO is reputed to be the sole responsible for success and failures.br /br /No attempt has been made to set the history in the larger context of the times: Persians are just enemies, if not barbarians; Arabs just barbarians and also Turks are a mere nuisance and at last a fatal illness. But all these peoples represented sophisticated civilizations, that had relevant role both in the cultural exchange with the Byzantine Empire (the Arabs specially a decisive role in the cultural renaissance after the iconoclastic dark age) and with the medieval and early-renaissance European Culture (the Toledo translators, the Salernitan school,...)br /No attempt has been made to inquiry in the diplomatic strategic ability of the Empire, a feature credited by many other historians as the single main "weapon" that permitted the empire to survive up to the XV century. br /br /The list could go on for a long while.br /But it is worthless to keep on.br /If you are interested in the Byzantine history and culture, it'll be better for you to look for other introductions.br /br /I can just recommend a few books I truly appreciated and I believe far more interesting:br /- Dimitry Obolensky - "The Byzantine Commonwealth"- a superb appraisal of the Byzantine diplomacy and the ensuing diffusion of the Byzantine culture in Eastern Europe. Unlike the Romans who spread their culture because of their army might, Constantinople was able to spread by virtue of ambassadors and missionaries. Great insight into the peculiarity of what we call today "Eastern Orthodox" cultures (see my review)br /- Dimitri Gutas - "Greek Thought and Arabic Culture", a very interesting story of the continuous cultural osmosis between East and West, from the rise of the Persian Empire to the advent of Islamism (the first and second waves of translations). (see my review)br /- Jerry Brotton - "The Renaissance Bazaar. From the silk road to Michelangelo" - excellent presentation of the Renaissance culture from a wider multicultural perspective. (see my review)br /br /I do appreciate feedback. br /You are truly welcome if you can suggest other readings or just share ideas and comments! br /Thanks for reading.
 A good starting point December 9, 2004
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
Narrative history is not always popular in academic circles, but Warren Treadgold presents us with a wonderful narrative woven throughout with insightful and interesting social history. "Concise" is the key word here. This book is condensed from his much larger "History of the Byzantine State and Society." However, for most readers it will be sufficient, or it can serve as a useful and interesting starting point for any further study in Byzantine history. All of the major points of Byzantium's history are included in this book along with interesting analysis of population and economic trends, and, of course, the actions of Byzantine generals, emperors, and Patriarchs. If you are interested in Byzantine or even Medieval history you will want to get this book. The only regret is that Treadgold is too brief in his description of the conquest of Constantinople in 1453; a few more pages devoted to that topic would have prompted me to give five stars instead of four. Nonetheless, this book is highly recommended.
 Good short overview of Byzantium history August 28, 2003
7 out of 8 found this review helpful
It seems like this is the only English book out there that summarizes Byzantine history using latest scholarly research.pThe author's primary interest is in the revivals declines that happened during the long Byzantine history. In a way, he is still responding to Gibbons' history. I think this is important to keep in mind when reading this book.pThe writing style is clear, and the sections are very evenly divided. As such, besides being a good read, this book provides good pointers for further reading in Byzantine history.
Very Good anyalitical history June 11, 2003
11 out of 11 found this review helpful
This is a very good although brief little book. Byzantium is the name given to the part of the Roman Empire which survived the collapse of the West. Those who lived in it would have known themselves as Romans and Byzantium is very much an artificial name thought up after the event by scholars who had something of a prejudice against the Eastern Empire. This book is a strongly argued rebuttal of that position.pThe historian who has shaped the popular view of the Roman Empire is Gibbon. His rather long work explores a theme. That theme is that the Roman Empire reached its peak when its members were pagan and immersed in the values of a classical civilisation. The conversion to Christianity changed the nature and structure of the empire and led to its decline. pThis book broadly suggests that this view is poppycock and it uses a statistical and analytical approach to prove its point. Broadly what is argued is that the reason for the decline of Rome was bound up in the nature of the imperial system in 200 onwards. The basis of the authority of the Emperor was the support of the army. The army in turn consisted of troops who were generally non-roman. Although the Empire was nominally the strongest power in Europe at the time its internal authority was subject to fragmentation and it was this which led to the collapse of the Empire in the West. pIn the East a similar thing happened. However the Emperors were gradually able to re-assert civil power over the military. In addition it was also possible to build a common culture based on the Greek language and Christianity which unified the Empire and gave those who lived in it a common identity. pRather than declining the Eastern Empire was able under Justinian to go on the offensive and to re-conquer Africa and Italy. Whilst the Empire was to suffer reverses it lasted to 1200 and was still one of the strongest powers in Europe in 1000. pThis book uses statistics on the revenue of the empire, the size of its army and the extent of its territory to prove it's the central thesis. This book is fare easier to understand than a straight chronological history like that of Norwich. It is a book which cannot be recommended highly enough.
First-rate introduction to 1,000 years of overlooked history September 4, 2002
8 out of 8 found this review helpful
This is a fantastic, accessible introduction to the long and complicated history of a region that often gets overlooked or glossed over. In a little over 250 pages, Treadgold ably summarizes the ebb and flow of an empire which was at the crossroads of Western history. Though he focuses primarily on the political history of Byzantium, Treadgold also includes economic, social, and cultural developments, tying it all together with a conclusion that makes an excellent case for its significance to Western history. This is must reading for anybody interested in understanding how the eastern Roman empire survived the collapse of its western counterpart, as well as how its existence (and its own eventual fall) shaped the world in which we live today.
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