Customer Reviews

Constantinople: The Forgotten Empire.

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This work covers the history of the Byzantine Empire, from the foundation of Byzantium, in the Fifth Century AD, until its fall to the Ottoman Empire, in the Fifteenth Century. The relevance of the book is this: at school, we are taught history from a Eurocentric perspective. That's fine, since that is our main heritage. But there is a millenium-wide gap. They teach us the history of Greece and Rome, and then, after Rome's conquest by the Barbarians, we skim through the Middle Ages, briefly and superficially. Then we arrive at the Renaissance and proceed to modernity. The problem with this sequence is that we are never explained how the legacy of Greece and Rome resurfaces after a thousand years of Medieval times. And what we miss is precisely what Asimov fills in with his book. It happens that, for a thousand years, the Classical culture remained alive and kicking, even nurtured, in the Eastern Mediterranean. The axis of this world was Constantinople -or Byzantium-. There, the Classical culture met the Oriental luxury and liveliness, and the history of this empire is just fascinating. Jews, Moslems, Orthodox Christianity and Greeks, preserved and developed philosophy, theology, art and literature, amidst constant political turbulence. The stories show the most brutal and ruthless, as well as the most enlightened and wise rulers, courtiers and intellectuals. It was a world full of color, sensuality, passion and dynamism, half familiar and half exotic for our Western mind. Asimov's storytelling is fast and entertaining, but accurate. If you read it, chances are you won't remember most of the names and places, but you will get a general sense of what went on in this crucial corner of the world for a thousand years, and, best of all, you'll remain with a pleasant aftertaste. Strongly recommended both for entertaining and enlightening reasons, it is a real pity that this book is out of print and, more generally, that we are not taught the deeds of this great world.

I have owned this book since it first came out about 30 years ago. Reading it started my interest in the Byzantine Empire; an interest that continues to this day. I have read and enjoyed many scholarly books on Byzantium since I first read this book, but even today I will reread Asimov if I am in the mood for a quick, exciting narrative of Byzantine history. If for some reason I no longer had the book in my library, I would be willing to spend the asking prices for the used copies to obtain it.

This is the eighth of Asimov's brilliant histories. In his witty and eminently readable style, Asimov covers thoroughly this overlooked but significant epoch of Western civilization. As usual, he adds his own original insights. This book is over forty years old, and still remains as fresh and accurate as when it was written. Highly recommended for children and adults, students and scholars alike.
Education and enjoyment aside, these histories are becoming valuable collector's items.

It is too bad Isaac Asimov's history books are out of print. As a history teacher, mainly targeting middle school aged kids, I am very distressed to see a dearth of readable history books targeting this age group. Most history books are dry accounts with dates and events in dry succession. Asimov is a delightful read. He fleshes out men of history and shows the cause and effect of great decisions and great battles. At critical moments he pauses to illustrate a trend affecting the course of events. His accounts give a great global perspective without sacrificing the personal touches of studying individuals, their feats and their foibles. I would have loved to assign his history books for my students to read, but there were not enough affordable second hand ones for the entire class. Here's hoping a publisher of talent resurrects all of Isaac Asimov's history books.

P.S. If you took Constantinople, launched it into the universe, and gave it a few space ships, you'd have one of Asimov's Foundation science fiction stories, for which he is famous.