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Bezig met laden... Byzantium het verrassende leven van een middeleeuws rijk (2007)door Judith Herrin
Bezig met laden...
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. Durante mil años, un extraordinario imperio hizo posible que Europa alcanzara la modernidad: Bizancio. Esta breve y fascinante obra descarta el enfoque cronológico de las historias habituales para hablar de la arquitectura, la religión, la guerra, los personajes y mucho más, a través de episodios o temas concretos como la construcción de Santa Sofía, la iconoclasia, el papel de los eunucos o las cruzadas. Así, logra una historia más amena y accesible del imperio, desde la fundación en 330 de su magnífica capital, Constantinopla (la actual Estambul), hasta su caída ante los otomanos en 1453. A flawed effort, within a noble campaign to explain that Byzantium probably can't be summed up by an incense-bearing eunuch paying off manly masculine men from [wherever the author is from] until finally the whole mess collapsed because of its inherent weakness and, let's be honest, lack of manly masculine men. Byzantium is just the Roman Empire lasting until the fifteenth century. The next time some American neo-conservative complains that such-and-such an event in the USA is redolent of such-and-such an event in Rome just before the empire fell in the fifth century, throw this book at their head. A noble, noble cause. That said, and for all the strengths of the book--nice detail, wide range--it's a little infuriating that Herrin spends so much time talking about things that happened to her when she was a tourist in some part of what used to be the Byzantine empire. It feels like someone (agent? editor? Herrin herself?) decided that this book needed 'livening up.' Herrin, for better and worse, is not William Dalrymple. That's not to say Herrin shouldn't have written this book, only that it could easily have been much better. Considering that Byzantine history lasts for a thousand years, I think it was really smart to not try to tell a chronological story but to explore different aspects of Byzantine culture in individual chapters. If you're looking for a narrative history, this isn't it, but if you want a good overview of Byzantine culture and its influence on the world, this book is excellent. geen besprekingen | voeg een bespreking toe
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A classic book now available on audio With narration by Phyllida Nash, who gives a captivating account of the legendary empire that made the modern Western world possible Byzantium. The name evokes grandeur and exoticism-gold, cunning, and complexity. In this unique book, Judith Herrin unveils the riches of a quite different civilization. Avoiding a standard chronological account of the Byzantine Empire's millennium-long history, she identifies the fundamental questions about Byzantium-what it was, and what special significance it holds for us today. Bringing the latest scholarship to a general audience in accessible prose, Herrin focuses each short chapter around a representative theme, event, monument, or historical figure, and examines it within the full sweep of Byzantine history-from the foundation of Constantinople, the magnificent capital city built by Constantine the Great, to its capture by the Ottoman Turks. She argues that Byzantium's crucial role as the eastern defender of Christendom against Muslim expansion during the early Middle Ages made Europe-and the modern Western world-possible. Herrin captivates us with her discussions of all facets of Byzantine culture and society. She walks us through the complex ceremonies of the imperial court. She describes the transcendent beauty and power of the church of Hagia Sophia, as well as chariot races, monastic spirituality, diplomacy, and literature. She reveals the fascinating worlds of military usurpers and ascetics, eunuchs and courtesans, and artisans who fashioned the silks, icons, ivories, and mosaics so readily associated with Byzantine art. An innovative history written by one of our foremost scholars, Byzantium reveals this great civilization's rise to military and cultural supremacy, its spectacular destruction by the Fourth Crusade, and its revival and final conquest in 1453. Geen bibliotheekbeschrijvingen gevonden. |
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Google Books — Bezig met laden... GenresDewey Decimale Classificatie (DDC)949.502History and Geography Europe Other parts Greece and the Byzantine Empire Byzantine Empire -- 323-1453 Byzantine Empire ; Byzantine prosperity, 717-1081LC-classificatieWaarderingGemiddelde:
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