Cyril Mango (1928–2021)

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; show more 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 show less

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 show more 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. show less

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.

The Oxford History of Byzantium is the only history to provide in concise form detailed coverage of Byzantium from its Roman beginnings to the fall of Constantinople and assimilation into the Turkish Empire. Lively essays and beautiful illustrations portray the emergence and development of a distinctive civilization, covering the period from the fourth century to the mid-fifteenth century. The authors - all working at the cutting edge of their particular fields - outline the political show more history of the Byzantine state and bring to life the evolution of a colourful culture.
In AD 324, the Emperor Constantine the Great chose Byzantion, an ancient Greek colony at the mouth of the Thracian Bosphorous, as his imperial residence. He renamed the place 'Constaninopolis nova Roma', 'Constantinople, the new Rome' and the city (modern Istanbul) became the Eastern capital of the later Roman empire. The new Rome outlived the old and Constantine's successors continued to regard themselves as the legitimate emperors of Rome, just as their subjects called themselves Romaioi, or Romans long after they had forgotten the Latin language. In the sixteenth century, Western humanists gave this eastern Roman empire ruled from Constantinople the epithet 'Byzantine'.
Against a backdrop of stories of emperors, intrigues, battles, and bishops, this Oxford History uncovers the hidden mechanisms - economic, social, and demographic - that underlay the history of events. The authors explore everyday life in cities and villages, manufacture and trade, machinery of government, the church as an instrument of state, minorities, education, literary activity, beliefs and superstitions, monasticism, iconoclasm, the rise of Islam, and the fusion with Western, or Latin, culture. Byzantium linked the ancient and modern worlds, shaping traditions and handing down to both Eastern and Western civilization a vibrant legacy. show less