The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium (3-Volume Set) [Hardcover]

Alexander P. Kazhdan (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0195046528 | ISBN-13: 978-0195046526 | Publication Date: May 2, 1991 | Edition: 3-Volume Set

The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium is a three-volume, comprehensive dictionary of Byzantine civilization. The first resource of its kind in the field, it features over 5,000 entries written by an international group of eminent Byzantinists covering all aspects of life in the Byzantine world. According to Alexander Kazhdan, editor-in-chief of the Dictionary: "Entries on patriarchy and emperors will coexist with entries on surgery and musical instruments. An entry on the cultivation of grain will not only be connected to entries on agriculture and its economics but on diet, the baking of bread, and the role of bread in this changing society."
Major entries treat such topics as agriculture, art, literature, and politics, while shorter entries examine topics that relate to Byzantium such as the history of Kiev and personalities of ancient and biblical history. Each article is followed by a bibliography, and numerous maps, tables, architectural designs, and genealogies reinforce and clarify the text.
The new Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium will be the standard research tool and reference work for Byzantinists from graduate students to advanced scholars, and an essential resource for college and school libraries. It will also be an invaluable guide for classicists, Western medievalists, Islamicists, Slavicists, art historians, religious historians, and scholars of archaeology.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

After 35 years that witnessed the explosion of information on virtually every subject, we are in the age of synthesis: encyclopedias and dictionaries abound. With the recent 12-volume Dictionary of the Middle Ages ( LJ 2/1/83) and the older one-volume Oxford Classical Dictionary ( LJ 5/1/71. 2d ed.), this forms a trio of essential resources. The 100 contributors, many of them distinguished experts, have succeeded in their "attempt to collect within a single work data concerning all fields of Byzantine studies." The 5000-plus entries provide authoritative coverage not only of "traditional" topics such as art and architecture, basilica, agriculture, chronology, geography, literature, medicine, military strategy, science, and theology, but also many facets of everyday life--baths, clocks, houses, locks and padlocks, etc. The social historian will be especially pleased with the entries on abortion, childbirth, criminal procedure, food and diet, homosexuality, marriage and the family, names, prostitution, and slavery. The editor deserves special thanks for the uniformly lucid and readable style, for the clear illustrations, and for the useful maps, though the captions are not very informative. Three caveats: many terms appear only in Greek transliteration without adequate definition or explanation; the bibliographies are often skimpy; and the genealogical tables lack the emperors' regnal years. Still, this will endure as the first book the beginning student or the advanced scholar will reach for on the 1100-year history of Byzantium. Academic, large public, and research libraries must acquire this treasure.
-Bennett D. Hill, Georgetown Univ., Washington, D.C.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"This reference work is a major event for Byzantine studies....This is a remarkable accomplishment, one that both specialists and the educated public will find useful."--Speculum

"An indispensable reference tool for Byzantinists and Western medievalists, as well as an authoritative source for the more casual reader."--Religious Studies Review

"A landmark achievement that has no peer....Can be recommended wholeheartedly as an indispensable reference work of great worth."--Missiology

"The editor deserves special thanks for the uniformly lucid and readable style, for the clear illustrations, and for the useful maps....This will endure as the first book the beginning student or the advanced scholar will reach for on the 1100-year history of Byzantium. Academic, large public, and research libraries must acquire this treasure."--Library Journal

"The student of religion and the theologian will find much of interest throughout these three tomes."--Theological Studies

"A necessary addition for college and university libraries at all levels."--Choice

"A magnificent project and will prove to be one of the most significant scholarly resources in the last quarter of the 20th century."--Review & Expositor

"Throughout there is a welcome attention to realia and to daily life....The ODB now joins the OCD and the ODCC as an essential reference work for every academic or public library."--Religious Studies Review

"No respectable library can afford to forgo the immediate purchase of the Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium, because it will be cited throughout the world, as the scholarly reference on all matters Byzantine."--Biblical Archaeology Review

"Satisfies a long-felt need for a comprehensive reference work on the Eastern empire....There is no other reference work that covers the Byzantine world as thoroughly as the ODB....An essential purchase for academic collections supporting curricula in art history or medieval studies."--RBB/Booklist

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 2366 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA; 3-Volume Set edition (May 2, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195046528
• ISBN-13: 978-0195046526
• Product Dimensions: 12 x 9.5 x 7.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #949,885 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great!, July 23, 2001

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium (3-Volume Set) (Hardcover)

I am Byzantine history buff, and after looking through this set in a college library, I decided to get it for myself. I plan eventually to read most of it. A feature I like is the inclusion of brief histories of important cities of the empire and also of provinces. So, for example, there are entries on Bari and Sardinia. The careers of important personages are also outlined, not just emperors. I expect to learn a lot from the articles on special topics, some of which are indicated in the editorial review. The maps are clear and not overloaded with detail, but I would have liked a map of the empire around 700 to be included, instead of skipping from 565 to 1025. But that's a minor quibble. I expect to be using this book for years to come, so it should be well worth the money.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent buy!, April 4, 2008

By 

Seraphim - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium (3-Volume Set) (Hardcover)

This three volume set is just what every Orthodox seminarian needs on his bookshelf! I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw it offered recently for such a low price. A+++**

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars ODB, March 25, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium (3-Volume Set) (Hardcover)

This is a great reference for the thousand years of Byzantine history, covering everything from Amulets to Zoe. It is really helpful in starting any research paper, and is also great just to look things up in that you find of interest.