Byzantium: The Early Centuries [Deckle Edge] [Hardcover]

John Julius Norwich (Author)

Book Description

Series: Byzantium | Publication Date: March 18, 1989

Volume 1 of the series. Includes 32 pages of illustrations, and 11 maps and tables.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Several works dealing with Byzantine history have recently appeared (see Nicolas Cheetham's Medieval Greece, LJ 3/15/81 and Antony Bridge's Theodora, LJ 6/15/84), but this is probably the most comprehensive survey for the general reader and tourist. The first of a projected three-volume study, this elegantly written tribute to the Western debt to Byzantium traces the history of the city from the birth of Constantine c.274 to the coronation of Charlemagne on Christmas Day 800. While slight attention is given to ordinary people, and the approach is very Eurocentric, all the great figures of early Byzantine history are here; the architectural monuments, theological controversies, the notorious sexual tastes of many emperors, and the proverbially "Byzantine" court intrigues are lucidly described. For general collections.
- Bennett D. Hill, Georgetown Univ., Washington, D.C.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From the Inside Flap

Volume 1 of the series. Includes 32 pages of illustrations, and 11 maps and tables.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 416 pages
• Publisher: Knopf (March 18, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0394537785
• ISBN-13: 978-0394537788
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 5.8 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (41 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #89,841 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #18 in Books > Christian Books & Bibles > Orthodoxy
  • #48 in Books > History > Europe > Eastern

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

71 of 73 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The perfect introduction to Byzantium!, September 4, 2000

By 

Thomas J. Brucia "Tom B" (Houston, TX United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Byzantium: The Early Centuries (Hardcover)

If you love history, and exploring unknown territory, this book is a winner! This historical narrative, complete with excellent and detailed maps, useful family trees, an extensive bibliography, and even a "List of Byzantine monuments surviving in Istanbul" (!) makes one feel like one is awaking from a coma. John Julius Norwich states: "During my five years at one of England's oldest and finest public schools, Byzantium seems to have been the victim of a conspiracy of silence. I cannot remember its being mentioned, far less studied... " This book is the cure! ---- Norwich's narrative is witty, fascinating, and informative and makes clear the huge debt Western European civilization owes to Byzantium, which shielded Europe first from the Persians, and then from Islam. (Look at your maps!) The first Christian emperor, Constantine the Great founded The Eastern Roman Empire (aka Byzantium) in 330. The Eastern Empire fell -- 1,123 years later -- in 1453 (quite a big educational gap!) This first volume (Byzantium is a trilogy!) ends at the coronation of Charlemagne as Roman Emperor of the West in the year 800. Norwich demonstrates that the Roman Empire never fell; it divided. His story is that of the Eastern Empire, but he fully examines Byzantine relations with the Papacy, Byzantium's presence in Italy, and military and diplomatic actions involving the remnants of the Western Roman Empire ----- Lord Norwich's writing style could be likened to a thread of gold (narrative) strung with countless jewels (anecdotes). This book covers five centuries and 88 rulers - and it is full of fascinating vignettes. It recapitulates the adoption of Christianity by the Roman Empire. It details wave after wave of barbarian invasion: the Vandals, the Huns, the Visigoths, the Ostrogoths, the Avars, the Bulgars, the Lombards, the Slavs, and others. It walks us through military campaigns, battles, sieges, and massacres. It tells chilling stories of court intrigue. It shows humans at their best and most bestial. It recounts the long struggle with the Persian Empire (which seems as current as the 20th century's battle with "the evil empire."). And it documents the rise of a new desert religion which swept out of Arabia and swallowed the Byzantine eastern provinces just after the Persian threat had been finally ended, i.e. Islam. --- Norwich is witty and fun to read (be prepared for subtlety and easily missed "zingers"). A word of warning - Christians without a sense of humor and a thick hide may not like Norwich's approach to issues of theology and church history. Today many may find the theological contests he scrutinizes seem absurd and esoteric. His depictions of religious figures are frequently NOT flattering. But believers and non-believers alike with a thirst for truth will find this work to be a refreshing drink! It is a book to be savored, and like any classic, to be read again and again.

57 of 66 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good Writing, An Unfortunate Lack of Depth of Content, July 20, 2002

By 

Graham Phillips (Westford, MA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Byzantium: The Early Centuries (Hardcover)

I found "Byzantium - The Early Centuries" a difficult book to review and waffled continually between 3 and 4 stars, but ultimately settled on the former in the hopes that it would attract more scrutiny from fellow Amazon customers. Do realize, however, that my complaints with Lord Norwich's book might not bother a different reader; as these other reviews show, this is certainly a 4-star book for many people. I suggest you read my review, and based on the points I raise, decide for yourself if this is the type of book you might enjoy.

It first must be said that there is much to praise in the initial volume of this trilogy. Norwich writes in a very clear and entertaining style, never condescending or unnecessarily florid. His tone allows him to successfully create any number of emotions: excitement and anxiety during the siege of Constantinople by the Persians and the campaigns of Heraclius (p. 295-299); awe at the unmatched speed of the rise of Islam (p.302); disgust at the brutality of Emperors like Constantine VI who had one of his uncles blinded and cut out the tongues of the other four (p. 373). In addition to all this, Norwich is quite humorous when situation demands it. For example, while discussing the advent of "Greek Fire," Norwich quotes a contemporary author and provides this commentary: " 'The conflagration will spread and can be extinguished only by urine, vinegar or sand' - a property which, if true, would give a completely new dimension to the technique of fire-fighting" (p. 323).

But Norwich's style does not save this book from what I consider two major problems with the content. (I say two problems, but in all fairness they are simply opposite sides of the same coin.) The book focuses too much on Emperors and their personal lives, and not enough on Byzantine society. Several Emperors (e.g. Constantine, Julian the Apostate, Justinian, and Heraclius) had long and very interesting reigns, and Norwich does a fine job of chronicling their exploits; but there are many more Emperors who ruled for a short period of time, did nothing of note, died or were murdered, and simply are not interesting to read about. All to often I found myself slogging through chapters that read like this: In year X, Emperor A had disloyal advisor B tortured and murdered; B's son C led the army in revolt, deposed and killed A and married his widow D; C spent two years engaged in sexual debauchery before dying of a painful venereal disease, leaving the Empire in the hands of A's 10 year old grandson E who was as interesting as a sack of potatoes. Most of these Emperors are quite dull, and based on Norwich's account did nothing of note and had no individual personalities. I found that I had forgotten most of them within 5 pages of their deaths.

By focusing exclusively on Emperors, court intrigues, and imperial wars (the last of which I must admit I did find quite interesting), Norwich leaves out all social, economic, or cultural history. After finishing this book I have no idea what life might have been like for an average citizen of Constantinople. (As a comparison, see "A Distant Mirror" by Barbara Tuchman.) The only exception to this rule is the excellent coverage of religion, which I found interesting precisely because it sheds light on "daily life in the Byzantine Empire" (p. 187).

As a whole, I found this book to be a mixed bag. Much of it was intriguing and all of it well written, and thus it's a shame there were certain omissions and dull spots. For those concerned primarily with Emperors, or who need to refer to a basic chronology, this is a fine choice. But I fear that the general reader might sometimes get bored, as I did. As always, if you're still curious, please read it and make your own judgment.

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Too entertaining to be history?, January 27, 2004

By 

Greg (Bloomington, Minnesota United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Byzantium: The Early Centuries (Hardcover)

John Julius Norwich creates a landscape of blood-soaked battlefields dominated by glorious conquering armies, and glittering marble cities filled with golden churches and restless plebeians who are as passionate about theology as they are about Chariot races. His book is filled with interesting characters: mighty emperors and generals, scheming wives and lovers, and devilishly shrewd nobles and bishops, to name a few. Norwich's story is hard to put down, and he is one of the few writers talented enough to make his historical figures leap into life and remind us that they were real people.

Is this an epic movie? A blockbuster novel? No, its history, Byzantine history, to be precise. It's not like any history you have read before. Don't look for endless lists of footnotes, dry re-hashing and reinterpretation of primary source evidence, or some Earth-shattering revelation of the latest archaeological findings. This is not a "scholar's" history, so lower that nose about 45 degrees!

And yet, Norwich gives us absolutely no reason to doubt him. His conclusions are reasonable and sound, and he makes occasional references to respected scholars such as Ostrogorsky or Bury to support his work. Norwich's history is the kind of history that inspired Machiavelli to produce a great work of political philosophy: reasonable, yet passionate and human, and above all: READABLE!

So turn off the TV, put your kids to bed and kiss your wife goodnight, pour yourself a generous cognac, and ensconce yourself in the comfortable chair by the fire -- while Viscount Norwich enthralls you into the wee hours of the morning with his masterpiece which is too good to be history!