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Title: A History of the Byzantine State and Society by Warren Treadgold ISBN: 0-8047-2630-2 Publisher: Stanford Univ Pr Pub. Date: November, 1997 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $37.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.36 (11 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: A complete and very accurate description of an entire world
Comment: I found the book really thorough, accurate, complete. It's very well written and easily readable. The author succeeds in explaining how the empire survived so long, how its power, its society and its culture depended on economical and demographical factors on which rested the might of the army. Very interesting is the constant attention paid to the army, a chief factor in byzantine history. But the book is not only about economics, demography or the army, it also recognizes the importance of the political and military leaders, their aims, their abilities and their character. The chapters on the development of society are a very usefull tool for understanding byzantine history as a whole. Definitely a good book, comparable to Ostrogorski's work in its ability to recreate an entire world so different from ours. If I may make a suggestion, the author should give more often its opinion, be more direct and, why not, sometimes a little bit more 'passionate'.
Rating: 4
Summary: Good political history
Comment: This book is only for those who really like Byzantine history and it's best for those who like old-fashioned, narrative, history. That may be a small target audience, but if you fit, you'll probably love it like I did. Treadgold's strength is the lives of the most important people in the empire, especially the emperors. Although there are separate chapters on economic and social trends, often important religious and social developments are woven into chronologies based on the emperors' lives. Treadgold also emphasizes the significance of events within the empire over external ones. For instance, in discussing the decline of the empire in the latter half of the eleventh century, he details at (very interesting) length the personal weaknesses of the emporers, but hardly mentions the strengths of the Turks. That's not necessarily a criticism; he may simply think that other historians over-emphasize the importance of external factors on the history of the empire. But he doesn't always alert you when he's propounding unconventional views. He sees the battle of Manzikert as being much less significant than do many other Byzantine and military historians. I have no idea who is right, but Treadgold doesn't mention the conventional understanding of the battle at all; he simply asserts that most of the Byzantine army survived and goes on.
Rating: 3
Summary: Good on substance, lacking in style
Comment: I can't comment on the scholarship of this book, but sytlistically, it clearly was missing a strong editor! Topic sentences are non-existent, leading me to have to re-read pages over and over.... Also, I was disappointed by the lack of information about any substantive area of history that doesn't interest the author (for example, Christianity's treatment of Jews, or scientific advances). In sum, I would have gotten much more out of a focus on "society" than "state."
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Title: The Making of Byzantium, 600-1025 by Mark Whittow ISBN: 0520204972 Publisher: University of California Press Pub. Date: August, 1996 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
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Title: Secret History by G. A. Williamson, Procopius ISBN: 0140441824 Publisher: Viking Press Pub. Date: March, 1982 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
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Title: Byzantium and Its Army 284-1081 by Warren Treadgold ISBN: 0804731632 Publisher: Stanford Univ Pr Pub. Date: May, 1999 List Price(USD): $23.95 |
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Title: Fourteen Byzantine Rulers: The Chronographia of Michael Psellus by Michael Psellus, E. R. Sewter, Joan M. Hussey ISBN: 0140441697 Publisher: Viking Press Pub. Date: December, 1979 List Price(USD): $14.95 |
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Title: The Alexiad of Anna Comnena (The Penguin Classics) by Anna Comnena, Anna Commena, E. R. Sewter ISBN: 0140442154 Publisher: Viking Press Pub. Date: December, 1979 List Price(USD): $15.00 |
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