The history and culture studied in the present volume correspond to the founding period of "Byzantium," a name given by humanists to the eastern part of the Roman Empire that progressively became a Greek and Christian empire.
Having experienced greater stability and prosperity than the West, the Eastern Roman Empire never ceased to claim its Roman heritage, as evidenced by the policy of Justinian to regain Africa from the Vandals, Italy from the Ostrogoths, and southern Spain from the Visigoths.
The work of a group of prominent historians from the Research Center for the History and Culture of Byzantium (CNRS-College de France), this book has as its chronological framework the first three centuries of the Eastern Empire: from the foundation of Constantinople at the site of ancient Byzantium in 330 to the end of the reign of Heraclius in 641. The year in which the conquest by the Arabs first of Syria and Palestine and subsequently of Egypt marks the beginning of the "Byzantine Middle Ages."
The second volume of the series, directed by Jean-Claude Cheynet, examines this period (641-1204). The period 1204-1453 will be the subject of the third volume, which is being prepared under the direction of Angeliki Laiou.
Thanks to scientific advances, particularly in the fields of archaeology, epigraphy, numismatics, and papyrology, our knowledge of Byzantium has been enriched with many new elements. Examined alongside traditional sources in this volume, they offer a new, detailed synthesis of the military-political, religious, cultural, economic, and social life of Byzantium.
Four chapters are devoted to the study of the four major provinces of Byzantium (Illyricum, Asia Minor, Syria-Palestine, Egypt), an innovative choice that allows the reader of the manual to grasp the complexity of the Byzantine world. Beyond simplistic stereotypes of "decline" and a centralized system, the causes of the prosperity of the Roman East as well as its gradual decline from 550 onwards are presented here more vividly.
Number of pages
583
Cover
Soft
Year of publication
2007
Publisher
Polis
25 Coins
To earn Skroutz Coins, join Skroutz Plus and accept the terms of the reward program.
