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Byzantium: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions) Illustrated Edition

by Peter Sarris (Author)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 119 ratings
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After surviving the fifth century fall of the Western European Roman Empire, the Byzantine Empire flourished as one of the most powerful economic, cultural, and military forces in Europe for a thousand years.

In this Very Short Introduction Peter Sarris introduces the reader to the unique fusion of Roman political culture, Greek intellectual tradition and Christian faith that took place in the imperial capital of Byzantium under the emperor Constantine and his heirs. Using examples from Byzantine architecture, art and literature, Sarris shows how their legacy was re-worked and re-invented in the centuries ahead, in the face of external challenges and threats. Charting the impact of warfare with the Persian and Islamic worlds to the east, Sarris explores the creativity of Byzantine statecraft and strategy, as well as the empire's repeated (but ultimately forlorn) attempts to enlist aid from the Christian powers of Western Europe to ensure its survival.

ABOUT THE SERIES:
The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.
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  1. ISBN-10
    0199236119
  2. ISBN-13
    978-0199236114
  3. Edition
    Illustrated
  4. Publisher
    Oxford University Press
  5. Publication date
    October 1, 2015
  6. Language
    English
  7. Dimensions
    6.9 x 4.45 x 0.09 inches
  8. Print length
    176 pages
  9. See all details
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Book Description

An exploration of the fusion of Greek and Roman civilization at the heart of the Byzantine Empire

About the Author

Peter Sarris was educated at St Albans School and Balliol College, Oxford, where he read Modern History, specialising in Byzantine and medieval topics. In 1993 he was elected to a Prize Fellowship at All Souls College, and since 2000 he has taught at the University of Cambridge, where he is currently Reader in Late Roman, Medieval and Byzantine History and a Fellow of Trinity College. His previous books include Empires of Faith - The Fall of Rome to the Rise of Islam (OUP, 2011).

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Oxford University Press; Illustrated edition (October 1, 2015)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 176 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0199236119
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0199236114
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 5.2 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.9 x 4.45 x 0.09 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 119 ratings

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Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
119 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Akasaka
5.0 out of 5 stars GREAT TO READ
Reviewed in the United States on March 28, 2024
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Concise and illuminating.
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Dora Mitchum
4.0 out of 5 stars Great, short introduction to Byzantium.
Reviewed in the United States on December 19, 2015
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Great, short introduction to Byzantium. But maybe not perfect--definitely relies on macro level explanations for major events, which I fear is probably too simplistic. But, again, it's a short intro--not a dissertation. Great, modern prep for further reading on the subject.
4 people found this helpful
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John P. Jones III
5.0 out of 5 stars A major lacuna…
Reviewed in the United States on March 23, 2018
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… filled in a bit, ever so concisely. This is now the 13th book I have read in the “A Very Short Introduction.” I have found them all quite beneficial. Most of the previous 12 would fall into the “refresher” and “update” categories, often in the scientific field, for example the books on magnetism, astrophysics, coral reefs and deserts. This work fell into a more unique category: I knew virtually nothing about Byzantium. The author, Peter Sarris, was kind enough to address why that might be so, early on in the book. Largely because of Edward Gibbon, and his seminal  The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire , I maintained the view that the Roman Empire ended in the 5th Century. Sarris provides the following dismissive quote of Gibbon’s: “Byzantine history was a tedious and uniform tale of weakness and misery.” Voltaire said: “it was a worthless collection of oration and miracles…a disgrace to the human mind.” Montesquieu and Hegel had equally contemptuous reviews. Somehow, I must have absorbed those ideas from “the ether,” and simply fast forwarded to when the Ottoman Empire was the “Sick Man of Europe,” thereby skipping a millennium and a half of history in one of the “crossroads of the world.”

Sarris provides a strong counterpoint to the “giants” of the Enlightenment, quoted above. “Byzantium was not ‘heir’ to Rome – it WAS Rome…In their own imagination, they were every bit as Roman as Livy and Cicero.” “It was this combination (forged in the 4th century) of Roman identity, Greek culture, Christian religion, and devotion to the city of Constantine that would define Byzantium and its civilization for a thousand years.”

The author provides a dense, but most readable summation of that millennium of history, starting with the conversion of Constantine to Christianity, when he saw that cross in the sky, denoting that he would be the victor in the battle. The 6th century emperor, Justinian, expanded the public works in Constantinople, including the rapid building of Hagia Sophia, which would be a church for almost 1000 years. Byzantium would be buffeted by two major empires, first, the Persian, and then the forces of a new religion, Islam, as it surged out of the Arabian Peninsula. In general, “graven images” are forbidden in Islam (unless it is a leader’s picture on paper money, then no one seems to care). The Byzantines decided to emulate their rivals, and also became iconoclasts, which seemed to improve their prospects in battle… until when it didn’t… and changed their minds and restored those images. Later, Byzantium would be hammered upon by the nomadic tribes from central Asia. But what truly transformed Byzantium, before Islamic forces took the capital in 1453 was the forces of Latin Christianity, in the form of the 4th Crusade, which sacked the city in 1204. The Orthodox form of Christianity was prominent from Greece, Asia Minor, as far as Moscow, but it would be the Latin form that would be practiced in Hagia Sophia for the next two and a half centuries.

The book is not just about the march of armies across western Asia. Sarris provides a most informative chapter on the culture of Byzantium. A key concept is that “renewal” and “cleansing” were operative words, “innovation” was not. Literature was written in the stilted “high style” of ancient Greece. Neologisms were eschewed. The author suggests that the readership of such works was severely conscribed, with the 13th century historian Choniates knowing all his readers, “by name.” On the plus side, much of the literature of ancient Greece would have been lost if this had not occurred.

5-stars, plus, for Sarris’ work which cast a light on a dark corner of history that I did not know. It does remain, as the series indicates, “an introduction.”
8 people found this helpful
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Ryan H.
5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent starting point
Reviewed in the United States on August 17, 2017
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I've just recently been struggling through the chapters of Chris Wickham's The Inheritance of Rome that focus on the Byzantine empire, when I decided to check if there was a Very Short Introduction published on Byzantium. I'm thankful for this guide in helping to rid myself of my abject ignorance; now it seems much more manageable. The book certainly opens up a great deal of questions. I'd recommend it to anyone in my position.
3 people found this helpful
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Eddie Williams
3.0 out of 5 stars Good, but only for an overview
Reviewed in the United States on August 29, 2017
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Not bad. It could be better. Certain parts of the book could have made things a bit more clear for the reader.
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RevEkstromAuthor
5.0 out of 5 stars The Most Important Information is Here
Reviewed in the United States on January 23, 2019
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Like all of the "Very Short Introduction" books in the Oxford University Press series, "A Very Short Introduction to Byzantium" is full of information in very few pages, and is easily read by a novice to ancient and medieval history.
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Laurence Goldstein
4.0 out of 5 stars Shockingly good. Think of it as a multipart historical essay
Reviewed in the United States on May 6, 2016
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Shockingly good. Think of it as a multipart historical essay. The focus is on the municipality with the periphery peripheral. The bibliography is odd: neither Gibbon nor Pirenne. But the melody flows swiftly.
2 people found this helpful
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Gary E.
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on November 30, 2017
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Great background on the Byzantine period of history
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Top reviews from other countries

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Victor
5.0 out of 5 stars Bom
Reviewed in Brazil on April 5, 2020
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Bom
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Client d'Amazon
5.0 out of 5 stars Parfait
Reviewed in France on September 18, 2019
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Passionnant comme tous les livres de la série.
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Jay
5.0 out of 5 stars A true VSI
Reviewed in India on August 15, 2017
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This is the 3rd book I have read from this series.
This one 8s realy good , if you just want to get clear idea about the Byzantium and important events and timeline this us the book for you.
This books are supposed to ignite our intinterest in that subject and this book realy do.
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Welsh Borderman
5.0 out of 5 stars Every visitor interested in the history of Istanbul should have a copy of this little book!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 12, 2015
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If you are about to visit, are visiting or have visited Istanbul this little book is fascinating. Istanbul/Constantinople/Byzantium is one of the most interesting cities on the planet and this handy introduction to it's early history will help you get the most from your visit. Highly Recommended!
3 people found this helpful
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Fulk Nerra
4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent precis
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 19, 2015
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As usual with VSI books the expert author digests into a very compact package the essential message of specialist works. Well worth reading and you may well want to find out more about a sadly neglected civilisation.
4 people found this helpful
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