Customer Reviews

Emperor and Priest: The Imperial Office in Byzantium (Past and Present Publications)

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There are, regrettably, few books that touch upon the intricacies of the Byzantine Imperial Court, that pinnacle of splendor that awed emissaries from all four corners. Fortunately however, the books that we do have certainly do a terrific job at detailing the particulars of the system. Gilbert Dagron's book touches especially upon the Imperial Office of Byzantium, and does a spectacular job at doing so, explaining the odd concept of 'caesaropapism' that to Enlightenment scholars defined the Byzantine court. He writes detailed descriptions of imperial ceremony, and gives wonderful accounts of the evolution of the imperial concept from Constantine the Great onwards. Included is a gorgeous diagram of the Imperial palace, which is reason to buy this book. Certainly a necessity for any serious Byzantophile.

This book is wonderful history, only it is not for the general reader. The author has mede no attempt to familiarize readers first with the specific terminology of the Byzantine court, therefore one has to read it by feeling somewhat befuddled, as terms are only explained in a (somewhat awkard end) glossary. The translation is good, but somewhat (and unavoidably) stiff, and I suspect the book would read better in its original French.