ARCHIVE - BYZANTIUM: THE SURPRISING LIFE OF A MEDIEVAL EMPIRE - TOC AND SYLLABUS

[Bentley, Group Founder, Leader, Chief]

Great Aposprout and Emily. The start date is just around the corner.

[Becky]

I've started - got up to the end of Chapter 1.

Several years ago I started the book by John Julius Norwich and got about 4 chapters in - I don't remember why I put it down, it got good reviews. Looking back into it I see I made comments and marginalia - hmmm...

One thing is that the Norwich book is only Volume I and only goes through Empress Irene (800 CE) yet it's 400 pages long so it's very detailed.

I'll see if I can read the related material in that one as we go. Constantine is quite the guy - humph!

[Bentley, Group Founder, Leader, Chief]

For sure and thank you for that. The related information will be very helpful.

[Becky]

Oops! My cover picture fell off!

Bek

[Bryan]

I took a Medieval Europe class in undergrad and it touched on Byzantium, but this class was ages ago. I might still have the book. We used:

by Brian Tierney

[Virginia]

I do want to get into this, but guess I'll be late; I'm just coming up for air, semi-awake and back on earth after the fund-raising dinner at work, and am about to order the book, as I had no time to do so before.
Am I blind, or am I missing the date layout for the syllabus for Byzantium?

[Benjamin]

Just received the book and will be contributing. I am studying the Near East in grad school (Princeton) right now and this fits well with my ancient religions (mostly rabbinics) course as well as with both my Islamic history seminars. I am writing my thesis, insha'allah, on the Rashidun Caliphate, studying the Arabic and Syriac sources. This book should provide good background from the exterior perspective. Looking forward to it and to the debate here.

[Bryan]

Virginia wrote: "I do want to get into this, but guess I'll be late; I'm just coming up for air, semi-awake and back on earth after the fund-raising dinner at work, and am about to order the book, as I had no time ..."

Bentley has not posted the syllabus just yet, but he will soon :-)

[Bentley, Group Founder, Leader, Chief]

Virginia you are not blind (smile) - I have not posted it as yet. But feel free to read the first 50 pages. That should get you ready for the first week's assignment and more and you will be ahead of the curve.

[Scott]

Bentley wrote: "Virginia you are not blind (smile) - I have not posted it as yet. But feel free to read the first 50 pages. That should get you ready for the first week's assignment and more and you will be ahea..."

If anyone is still trying to get the book, Barnes & Noble may have some in stock. I made my original order on Nov. 11. B&N emailed me that the book has arrived from the publisher to their warehouse in New Jersey on Nov. 30, transferred to Kentucky on Dec. 1.
I might actually get it the day the discussion begins.

[Virginia]

I got my book yesterday from one of Amazon's bookstores; It's a good condition copy, and it really is, with the smell of an old bookstore with it, like the Strand here in NYC.

[Bentley, Group Founder, Leader, Chief]

Scott, no problem - we do quite a leisurely read; some folks think we are very slow but we want to give everyone a chance to get through the non fiction books that they have always wanted to read; but with busy professional lives just did not have the time. So it is fairly easy to catch up and/or keep up. I will be delighted to have you with us.

And Virgina your books sounds glorious; nothing like the smell of the Strand in a book or something very similar to it. (smile)

[Mandy]

I love that idea Bentley. I often that that non-fictions books take so long to read that I just feel exhausted afterwards. At least this way I can try read a bit a week and then still keep up with my fiction reading too.

[Gabriel]

I ordered it from amazon. I forget nonfiction books are pricey. I should've went to half price books.

[Bentley, Group Founder, Leader, Chief]

Mandy wrote: "I love that idea Bentley. I often that that non-fictions books take so long to read that I just feel exhausted afterwards. At least this way I can try read a bit a week and then still keep up wit..."

Mandy, that is the way we planned it from the very beginning because we found ourselves in the same boat; great intentions but little time. And with others reading the same segment it spurs you on. All of us like to do both. But there is so much to be obtained from reading non fiction that here we just want to do it justice and blend both.

[Bentley, Group Founder, Leader, Chief]

Gabriel wrote: "I ordered it from amazon. I forget nonfiction books are pricey. I should've went to half price books."

They can be; that is why we try to let you know of less expensive options when there are some. Sometimes though folks like to keep their non fiction books and/or some sell them after reading on ebay or to somebody else at a reduced price. We do have a thread somewhere for doing just that but it has not been used that much.

[Becky]

Okie, dokey - I've read the first 50 pages. I thought chapter 1 was very, very slow but everything picked up in chapter 2 and I'm mesmerized.

I found this if anyone is interested:

http://www.arkeo3d.com/byzantium1200/...

Byzantium 1200 is a project aimed at creating computer reconstructions of the Byzantine Monuments located in Istanbul, TURKEY as of year 1200 AD.

[Bentley, Group Founder, Leader, Chief]

Glad you are moving along. Good for you; everything goes up tonight to start things off.

[Scott]

Kathy F wrote: "I just started reading the book earlier this week. Love it so far. Just a little irreverent remark: I can't stop giggling over that song by They Might Be Giants "Istanbul (not Constantinople)". F..."

If the song has the line 'it's nobody's business but the Turks', it might be a cover of the Spike Jones hit of the 1950's.

[Bentley, Group Founder, Leader, Chief]

SYLLABUS:


Week One: December 5th - December 11th:

List of Illustrations ix
List of Maps xii
Introduction: A Different History of Byzantium xiii

Part I: Foundations of Byzantium

Chapter 1: The City of Constantine 3
Chapter 2: Constantinople, the Largest City in Christendom 12

Week Two: December 12th - December 18th:

Chapter 3: The East Roman Empire 22
Chapter 4: Greek Orthodoxy 33

Week Three: December 19th - December 25th:

Chapter 5: The Church of Hagia Sophia 50
Chapter 6: The Ravenna Mosaics 61

Week Four: December 25th - January 1st (no assignments - time off for holiday celebrations and religious holidays)

Week Five: January 2nd - January 8th (2012):

Chapter 7: Roman Law 70

Part II: The Transition from Ancient to Medieval

Chapter 8: The Bulwark Against Islam 83

Week Six: January 9th - January 15th:

Chapter 9: Icons, a New Christian Art Form 98
Chapter 10: Iconoclasm and Icon Veneration 105

Week Seven: January 16th - January 22nd:

Chapter 11: A Literate and Articulate Society 119
Chapter 12: Saints Cyril and Methodios,'Apostles to the Slavs' 131


Week Eight: January 23rd - January 29th:

Part: III: Byzantium Becomes a Medieval State

Chapter 13: Greek Fire 141
Chapter 14: The Byzantine Economy 148

Week Nine: January 30th - February 5th:

Chapter 15: Eunuchs 160
Chapter 16: The Imperial Court 170

Week Ten: February 6th - February 12th:

Chapter 17: Imperial Children,"Born in the Purple" 185
Chapter 18: Mount Athos 192

Week Eleven: February 13th - February 19th:

Chapter 19: Venice and the Fork 203
Chapter 20: Basil II,"The Bulgar-Slayer" 212

Week Twelve: February 20th - February 26th:

Chapter 21: Eleventh-Century Crisis 220
Chapter 22: Anna Komnene 232

Week Thirteen: February 27th - March 4th:

Chapter 23: A Cosmopolitan Society 242


Part IV: Varieties of Byzantium

Chapter 24: The Fulcrum of the Crusades 255

Week Fourteen: March 5th - March 11th:

Chapter 25: The Towers of Trebizond, Arta, Nicaea and Thessalonike 266

Chapter 26: Rebels and Patrons 281

Week Fifteen: March 12th - March 18th:

Chapter 27: "Better the Turkish Turban than the Papal Tiara" 299
Chapter 28: The Siege of 1453 310

Conclusion: The Greatness and Legacy of Byzantium 321

Further Reading 339

List of Emperors Named in the Text 354

Chronology 357

Maps 363

Acknowledgements 375

Index 377

Week Sixteen: March 19th - March 25th - BOOK AS A WHOLE AND FINAL THOUGHTS:

[Mary Ellen]

I've gotten a library copy and am excited about plunging in. Just got into the Intro, and am already enjoying the writer's style.

Coming a little late to the brief consideration of pacing on this thread: I really appreciate the pacing of the book reads here. I have been able to catch up and participate in discussions of several excellent books. (And the discussion never ends, really.) This has encouraged me to jump in, whereas a "read the whole book by X date" would be discouraging. I find discussions with that type of deadline tend to have a short life - one or two weeks of intense discussion, then everyone moves on. Thanks to this group, I have read terrific books that had languished on a TBR list, and have gotten back into reading nonfiction on history, an old love. So I look forward to this next great read!

[Bentley, Group Founder, Leader, Chief]

Mary Ellen, we are thrilled to have you and you are right the discussions keep on going. And you can juggle a lot of book interests here without losing out.

As far as Herrin's style, I have heard from an equal number of folks who are on both sides of the aisle. Some love the thematic approach and some are lost and are trying to fill in the blanks.

My advice is simply to go with the flow and fill in the pieces later. These are great reads and are a lot of fun. The Byzantium era seems to be fascinating to me as well as all of the treasures that we have discussed already. A treasure trove of interests.