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Bezig met laden... Byzantium: The Empire of New Romedoor Cyril Mango
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Meld je aan bij LibraryThing om erachter te komen of je dit boek goed zult vinden. Op dit moment geen Discussie gesprekken over dit boek. Mango's views on Byzantine (or Eastern Roman, for the pedants) history and culture are presented clearly and forthrightly. He certainly isn't afraid to conceal his own opinions (and his occasional asides comparing the stultified Byzantine state with the declining Soviet Union of the 1980s stop being funny after the first few) but the writing is clear, the ideas interesting, and the book well laid-out. Those looking for a chronological history of the Byzantine Empire should look elsewhere; the book is organised in three sections devoted to the physical and political environment of the Byzantines, their conceptual world and their artistic legacy. All in all, a very good introduction to the subject ( ) This is yet another book on Byzantium with which I've been unimpressed, to say the least. Mango's work suffers from many problems, not the least of which are dry didactic style, his over-reliance on sources that amount essentially to the Byzantine version of tabloids, and what seems to be his own deep-seated hatred of the very subject matter he's supposed to an expert in! The only redeeming features of the book were the last two chapters, on Byzantine literature, art, and architecture. Even Mango's didactic style and only partially concealed jabs at the Byzantines couldn't ruin these, as he does a wonderful job of summarizing nearly a thousand years and as many miles worth of Byzantine culture. If you see this book in your local bookstore, get yourself a coffee and read these last two chapters. Then put the book back and leave. This was my first foray into Byzantine history, and I found Mango's book quite heavy-going. It assumes that the reader will already have some familiarity with Byzantine society and, for this reason, is perhaps not the best introduction for a novice. That said, what I did understand intrigued me, and Mango's discussion has inspired me to learn more about Byzantine culture: fascinating stuff. geen besprekingen | voeg een bespreking toe
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Founded by the emperor Constantine the Great in AD 324 as "the new Rome," the city of Constantinople was to become the centre of the powerful, vast, heterogeneous Byzantine world. Until Constantinople fell to the Turks in 1453, the city was the capital of an empire which stretched, at one time, from Gibraltar in the west to the banks of the Euphrates in the east. Astoundingly rich, this civilisation left behind it a legacy of magnificent art, architecture and literature, inspired by orthodox Christianity. Professor Mango's authoritative survey covers all the fundamental aspects of Byzantine culture and way of life-peoples, languages, society, the economy and trade, the disappearance and revival of cities monasticism and education. Geen bibliotheekbeschrijvingen gevonden. |
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Google Books — Bezig met laden... GenresDewey Decimale Classificatie (DDC)949.5History and Geography Europe Other parts Greece and the Byzantine EmpireLC-classificatieWaarderingGemiddelde:
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