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John Julius Norwich

Byzantium (I): The Early Centuries Hardcover – Deckle Edge, March 18, 1989

by John Julius Norwich (Author)

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

Print length

416 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Knopf
Publication date

March 18, 1989
Dimensions

6.61 x 1.5 x 9.5 inches
ISBN-10

0394537785
ISBN-13

978-0394537788
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NORWICH JOHN JULIUS
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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

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

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Knopf (March 18, 1989)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 416 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0394537785
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0394537788
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.9 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.61 x 1.5 x 9.5 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #597,958 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #445 in Christian Orthodoxy (Books)
- #3,427 in History of Christianity (Books)
- #3,813 in Christian Church History (Books)

Customer Reviews:
71 ratings

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Piers Montague

Fun to read but has major limitations

Reviewed in the United States on April 9, 2019

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Let me start by saying this and the other volumes comprising Norwich's history of Byzantium are engagingly written and pretty fun to read. That said, turn at random to any page and you will find at least a handful of cliched phrases, which, to me, do get tiring once the reader starts to realize just how frequently they occur. The major limitation of this history, though--and it is a major one--is that it is very much written in the tradition of Carlyle's "great men" vein of history. This is almost solely a history from the perspective of the rulers of Byzantium and is more or less a chronological history of what they did, not life in the empire as a whole over its course of existence. There's little delving into anything other than the trials and tribulations of the ruling family, how they responded to palace intrigue and invasions and diplomacy. It's all interesting stuff, but it's not an all-encompassing history of an empire.

3 people found this helpful

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sangabriel

Making History Palatable

Reviewed in the United States on January 31, 2016

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Proof that history books can stand the test of time, this 1988 publication is rich, evocative and a joy to read. The Novocaine for potentially ponderous subject matter is the author's engaging style. Where less skilled writers might have drowned in tiresome detail, Norwich occasionally conjures a breezy, even amusing touch to keep the story moving and the reader involved. He delineates but never wallows in the hideous brutality and endless internecine squabbling of the era, while breathing life into this long-dead, often ignored Christian empire that lasted an incredible thousand years. This first volume of a trilogy covers the birth of Byzantium, sired by Constantine out of the collapsing Roman Empire, and ends with the emergence of Charlemagne at the end of the 8th Century. Research, as one would expect with Norwich's impressive credentials, is impeccable and includes copious footnotes. In addition to color and b&w photos is a list of Byzantine monuments surviving in Istanbul, thoughtfully rated by degree of deterioration

12 people found this helpful

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James Yanni

Accomplishes what it sets out to accomplish superbly.

Reviewed in the United States on November 18, 2005

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Some time ago, I read the third volume of this set before reading this one and the second volume; in my review of that book, I acknowledged my mistake, and indicated that the sheer volume of information presented was somewhat overwhelming for a novice, but suspected that it would have been less so had I not made the mistake of reading the third volume first. Now I'm not so sure; Norwich's prose is still surprisingly readable, his (admittedly dry) humor still enjoyably unexpected in a book about a subject so potentially dry. But even starting from the beginning, and even with the advantage of having read the third book (perhaps not much of an advantage, but at least when reading this book I wasn't as rank a novice on the subject as I had been when reading the third) the sheer volume of information was still somewhat daunting. Nonetheless, that has more to do with the subject matter than with Norwich, who organizes his information very clearly. There is, after all, a reason why the adjective Byzantine came to mean complex and convoluted.

Norwich is excellent at providing both the modern and period name of any place he mentions, which can avoid a great deal of confusion, and he generally makes at least passable hand-waving gestures at acknowledging situations in which the scarcity of available information makes definitive knowledge of actions and, particularly, motives uncertain at best, while still providing us with what he considers the most plausible explanations for events. He makes no bones about not being a professional historian, so for someone already well-versed in the subject matter, there is presumably nothing new here unless it is an interpretation of Norwich's which doesn't fit the standard interpretation of events. But for someone like me, previously totally uninformed on the subject, this book, indeed this entire set (presumably; I haven't begun the second yet) is a wonderful primer.

9 people found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

Blood and destruction : The real thing

Reviewed in the United States on July 30, 2017

Verified Purchase

Enjoy "Game of Thrones "? Well, the history of Byzantium out-does it for real! Byzantium : The Early Centuries outdoes fiction in the succession of battles, blindings, castrations and massacres over the first 600 years of the Byzantine Empire. Of particular note is the way Constantine the Great selected the site, protected by the sea on two sides. Another site would not have lasted 1100 years as a political entity because of lack of protection from prolonged siege. An interesting (and disquietening ) side of this saga are the numerous incidents of overweening ambition and the depths many rulers have fallen to over the centuries to gain and hold political power, and how often gaining this power caused nothing but misery for their subjects, and often assassination for themselves. Who in their right mind would want to be Emperor ?

4 people found this helpful

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Jorge Flores

A FIVE STAR INTRO TO BYZANTIUM

Reviewed in the United States on August 23, 2006

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This book is for anyone interested in history, especially ancient one. It is NOT for people who have NO interest in history at all, or (at the other end of the spectrum) people with a deep knowledge of Byzantine History (most of which have at least heard of Norwich and know they won't find anything new here).

However, if you are like this reviewer, an occasional history / biography reader with absolutely no previous knowledge of Byzantium (except, perhaps, that it is present - day Istanbul), then you are a perfect candidate for this book. READ IT! By the end you will have learned about people like Constantine the Great, Julian the Apostate, St. John Chrysostom, Justinian and his wife Theodora, and my personal favorite, Belisarius, one of the greatest Generals of all time. Oh! And did I mention Attila the Hun, and the Goths? A highly commendable read.

11 people found this helpful

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