Byzantium

Great Ages of Man

by Philip Sherrard

Introduction to the political and cultural history of the Byzantine Empire, which combined Greek, Roman, Christian and Oriental elements and lasted for over 1000 years.

- The New Rome.
- Constantine's City.
- Chronicle Of An Empire.
- An Emperor Under God.
- The Holy Establishment.
- The Round Of Byzantine Life
- A Glittering Culture.
- The Final Centuries.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Reference, Christianity, Historical, Art, World History

192 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1966

About the author

Philip Sherrard was educated at Cambridge and London and taught at the universities of both Oxford and London, but he made Greece his permanent home. A pioneer of modern Greek studies and translator, with Edmund Keeley, of Greece's major modern poets, he wrote many books on Greek, philosophical and literary themes. He was also the translator and editor (with G.E.H. Palmer and Bishop Kallistos Ware) of the Philokalia, a collection of texts in five volumes by the spiritual masters of the Orthodox Christian tradition.

A profound, commited and imaginative thinker, his theological and metaphysical writings embrace a wide range of subjects, from the study of the spiritualizing potential of sexual love to the restoration of a sacred cosmology which he saw as the only way to escape from the spiritual and ecological dereliction of the modern world.

Reviews

[Erik Graff]

This book, and the series within which it is contained, was given me over a series of months by my paternal grandmother. A Time-Life book, it is lavishly illustrated and written by a notable expert, albeit for a general readership. These volumes likely contributed to my growing interest in history.

Off the top of my head I can't assuredly claim I've read every volume of this 'Great Ages of Man' series. Only a few of them stand out in memory. However, a serendipitous recent discovery of a cache of public school papers in my basement brought to light one written during my sophomore year in high school which contains footnote references to this volume.

[Sa Schmidt]

A great read to understanding the early days of christsindom's beginnings and gives a better understanding of what lead to the schism between the Eastern Orthodox and Western Catholic churches before protestantism began in the West. Also great for understanding what lead to the Crusades and the eventual downfall of this empire. Explains after the fall of Rome how Christianity lead to the monarchys of Europe and the organizing of it's countries.

A good read.

[Brayton Cole]

Dated and superficial in some ways, but does a decent job of conveying the atmosphere and life of the Empire in a way that more scholarly books cannot.

[Peter]

Philip Sherrard was a leading British-born expert on the history of Byzantium and modern Greek literature during his lifetime. Sherrard’s book, which was published in 1966 entitled Byzantium covers the history and culture of Byzantium from the beginning of the reign of the Ancient Roman Emperor Constantine I in 324 C.E. until the Ottoman Sultan Mehmet II conquered Constantinople I in 1453 C.E. (182-183). The book is for the series of Time-Life Books’ Great Ages of Man. Sherrard’s book is dated, but it is still worth reading if one is interested in the historiography of the history of Byzantium. I found this book intriguing. I did not know that much about Byzantium, so I found Sherrard’s book a wonderful introduction to the Byzantium Civilization. Sherrard is interested in showing the links between the culture of the Byzantium Empire and aspects of modern Greek culture as of the 1960s (170). The book has a beautiful layout, and each chapter is followed by a photo essay. Two of the photo essays make the link between the culture of Byzantium and the aspect of the Modern Greek culture of the 1960s. One photo essay is on the culture of the Island of Olympos in Greece (119-132). Another photo essay is on Eastern Orthodox Monasteries (171-182). At the end of the book, there is a Timeline. The book, Byzantium is readable. Even though it was dated I did not regret spending time reading the book, Byzantium.

[Spyros]

I found this book in a second hand books shop in Athens and I was instantly attracted by its cover illustration and quality. I read inside and although for me it didn’t provide any new knowledge I am sure for a beginner it is a truly informative book accompanied by a lot of pictures which make the reader understand more thoroughly the world of Byzantium.

[Adam Chandler]

Overall, this makes a good introduction to the city of Byzantium (not the Byzantine Empire as a whole) to give the history and culture of the area. The main drawbacks are that it is more introductory material and jumps around in time period. This would be better for history enthusiasts instead of historians, helping the imagination with a fair number of pictures.

[Jonathan Grant]

Very brief, but a good general overview of Byzantium and its legacy. I hadn't realized the link to Russia before.

[Zared]

Brilliant review of the Byzantine empire and all its facets. Excellent pictures and comprehensive review. Excellent historical context with surrounding empires and societies as well.

[Kili]

Nice writing

[Mark]

Nice survey of the Byzantine Empire; lots of great maps and interesting tidbits. For instance I had always wondered why in 1204 the Venetians had vigorously redirected the Fourth Crusade from Egypt and the Holy Land to sack Constantinople. Here was the answer I got:

"The diversion was engineered by the Venetians. The elderly doge of Venice, Enrico Dandolo, hated the Byzantines: 30 years earlier, while being held as a hostage in Constantinople, he had been blinded by the Greeks through exposure to a concave mirror which strongly reflected the sun's rays into his eyes."

It's details like this you don't get on Wikipedia my friends.

[Oliver Brackenbury]

I lucked into the whole collection being handed down to me a few months back and I chose to start with this one. It's a beautiful book with many high quality photographs and illustrations. Even the binding is a pleasure. I've seen collections of these Time Life Great Ages of Man books going for a bloody song on eBay. Grab them while you still can.

[Aimee]

I liked the combination of photos, drawings, and pictures of this book. I'd been listening to a series of podcasts called "Twelve Byzantine Rulers" and this was really helpful in keeping people and events straight.

[Leonard Pierce]

Probably my least favorite of the Time/Life "Great Ages of Man" books, this reads like the stereotype of Time/Life books: perfunctory term-paperish survey with flat prose and no real engagement.

[Victor Orozco]

Wonderful. One of the greatest Empires in history is told her from its rise and fall. A.

[James Violand]

A good summary of Byzantium's history.

[Anthony Bello]

Too much about architecture, not enough about Belisarius.

[Kayla]

Organization could have been better. One chapter was nothing but sketches. Its fine to include artists renditions, but sketches are cheap and sloppy. Fine, I guess.

[Ky Thorson]

Inspired in me a love of history like very few other books.