Best Books on Byzantium

[Pavlos]

Ok, im trying to compile a list of all the best books that a person should read in order to educate himself on byzantium, the world round byzantium, byzantiums influence, and byzantine religion/politics/entertainment/medicine/military/everyday life. heres a list so far of all that i know of, some of which i have read, please add more to the list, and possibly give a short descripition if it is a hard to find book. thanks : )

 

1. Byzantium - John Julius Norwich (3 Volume Set)

2. The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium

3. 1453 - Roger Crowley

4. Constantinople - Jonathan Harris

5. Byzantium - Stephen R. Lawhead (fiction but gives a good perspective on everyday life in the empire)

6. Sailing From Byzantium - Colin Wells

7. The Alexiad - Anna Comnena

8. The Mountain of Silence - Kyriakos Markides (great explanation of mount athos and the history/teachings of the orthodox church)

9. The Orthodox Church - Timothy (Kallistos) Ware - first half of the book is just history, very interesting actually.

 

I know there are manny more books that can be added to this list, lets see if we can get a nice list, thanks for the help.

[ASCLEPIADES]

Ok, im trying to compile a list of all the best books that a person should read in order to educate himself on byzantium,

Salve, P

 

As Mr. William Smith was unable at 1867 to define where the "Byzantine" begins and the Roman ends (?), I think his Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology MUST be included in your list, either online or paperware.

Edited June 12, 2008 by ASCLEPIADES

[Honorius]

Ok, im trying to compile a list of all the best books that a person should read in order to educate himself on byzantium, the world round byzantium, byzantiums influence, and byzantine religion/politics/entertainment/medicine/military/everyday life. heres a list so far of all that i know of, some of which i have read, please add more to the list, and possibly give a short descripition if it is a hard to find book. thanks : )

 

1. Byzantium - John Julius Norwich (3 Volume Set)

2. The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium

3. 1453 - Roger Crowley

4. Constantinople - Jonathan Harris

5. Byzantium - Stephen R. Lawhead (fiction but gives a good perspective on everyday life in the empire)

6. Sailing From Byzantium - Colin Wells

7. The Alexiad - Anna Comnena

8. The Mountain of Silence - Kyriakos Markides (great explanation of mount athos and the history/teachings of the orthodox church)

9. The Orthodox Church - Timothy (Kallistos) Ware - first half of the book is just history, very interesting actually.

 

I know there are manny more books that can be added to this list, lets see if we can get a nice list, thanks for the help.

 

add to that list...the fourth crusade and the sack of Constantinople - Jonathan Phillips (pretty easy read although he writes it from the view of the crusaders, it is writing narratively but at times is innecessant block quoting can get irritating, nevertheless a good read)

 

could anyone suggest books concerning the period from the sack in 1204 to the fall of Trebizond in 1461, with particular emphasis on the divided empire in that period like the Nicean, Epirote and Pontic... I've failed to find much at all on this particular period.

[Kosmo]

I liked "The Byzantines" by Guglielmo Cavallo. It's a collection of essays concerning various categories of people from poor to emperors.

[Northern Neil]

FRom my point of view as a model maker, 'The Buildings of Byzantium' by Helen and Richard Leacroft is a must.

[Pavlos]

haha funny you should mention "the fourth crusade and the sack of constantinople" i actually have the book, even though i have not gotten around to reading it and i forgot to put it on the list! thanks for reminding me.

[Honorius]

I was just going through the byzantium1200 site... and I just noticed that he released a book with 3d pictures of the models and the city, it looks alright http://www.zerobooksonline.com/eng/product...mp;product=2567

 

on the main site he has pictures of it

[Pompieus]

Of modern works (well, relatively modern) you should consider:

 

Later Roman Empire (2 vol) - A.H.M. Jones (vital)

History of the Byzantine State - G. Ostrogorski (a bit dated but classic)

History of the Later Roman Empire & -

History of the Eastern Roman Empire - J.B. Bury (ditto)

A History of the Byzantine State and Society - W Treadgold (a valuable update to the above with an excellent bibliography)

 

These are fairly massive tomes and fairly turgid in some cases I'm afraid, but they are the basic works. You might also want to try:

 

Constantine Porphyrogenitus - A Toynbee

Romanus Lecapenus - S Runciman

Byzantium - R Jenkins

Byzantium and Its Army - W Treadgold

Edited June 17, 2008 by Pompieus

[Pompieus]

In addition to Anna Comnena the primary sources would include:

 

Emperor Maurice's Strategicon

Emperor Constantine VII's Administrando Imperio, De Ceremoniis et al.

Michael Psellus' biographies of the emperors

Ammianus Marcellinus (if you count the 4th century as "Byzantine")

and Procopius

 

There is also the epic poem Digines Akrites

Edited June 17, 2008 by Pompieus