Roman reading is low-key cringe but this book is materialist af & covers a really essential period. The vision of the Roman empire 'leaving a light on' in the "Dark Ages" is pretty fundamentally flawed, Haldon does a long duree classic & demonstrates how the Roman ruling class dismantled the urban hellenistic culture of antiquity on purpose and how the Byzantine state was subject to the same developments of deurbanisation & decentralisation as western europe. Its really interesting stuff & its turned me onto a lot of primary sources ---> i've only started John Lydus' "On the Powers" so far: literally the definitive text on Roman bureaucracy, from a member of that bureaucracy. An astounding book, tbh.
I also read the Sphrantzes Chronicle, which is a pretty brief history from a greek exile from the fall of Constantinople. the author was a close associate of the last emperor and there's cool personal details in the narrative. my edition also had an account of the siege tacked onto the end, which was kind of interesting. mostly impressed by the walls on constantinople, 1,000 years old but taking cannonfire for almost 3 months :brow:
Byzantium in the Seventh Century by John Haldon
Roman reading is low-key cringe but this book is materialist af & covers a really essential period. The vision of the Roman empire 'leaving a light on' in the "Dark Ages" is pretty fundamentally flawed, Haldon does a long duree classic & demonstrates how the Roman ruling class dismantled the urban hellenistic culture of antiquity on purpose and how the Byzantine state was subject to the same developments of deurbanisation & decentralisation as western europe. Its really interesting stuff & its turned me onto a lot of primary sources ---> i've only started John Lydus' "On the Powers" so far: literally the definitive text on Roman bureaucracy, from a member of that bureaucracy. An astounding book, tbh.
I also read the Sphrantzes Chronicle, which is a pretty brief history from a greek exile from the fall of Constantinople. the author was a close associate of the last emperor and there's cool personal details in the narrative. my edition also had an account of the siege tacked onto the end, which was kind of interesting. mostly impressed by the walls on constantinople, 1,000 years old but taking cannonfire for almost 3 months :brow: