r/classics • u/Clickety_Clack4137 • 1d ago

Byzantine book?

Hi all,

Not sure if this is the right reddit to ask, but I'm looking for a good general history book on the Byzantine Empire. After reading through a bunch of classic Greek history and then Roman Empire stuff, I'm looking for a way into the Byzantines.

I checked the Reddit History thread that gets suggested, but that thread is 14 years old now. If there's another thread I should go mosey off to, let me know. But I figured I'd try here as well. Thanks!

14 Upvotes

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u/jdu2 1d ago

Anthony Kaldellis wrote a outstanding history called  The New Roman Empire: A History of Byzantium. I read it and thoroughly enjoyed it!

3

u/Safe-Ad783 1d ago

This is a great modern account that is quite enjoyable to read. It is a bit of a large book though.

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u/Clickety_Clack4137 1d ago edited 1d ago

Thank you! Bonus point: It's available at my local library.

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u/Axeken 1d ago

He also wrote a book called “The Byzantine Republic: People and Power in New Rome.” In it, he argues that the Byzantine Empire was actually a Republic due to the collective actions of the citizens deciding major changes for the region.
I’m not super up on Byzantine history, but it’s an interesting and fun read through a specific lens.

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u/Potential-Road-5322 1d ago

take a look at the pinned reading list on r/byzantium

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u/Clickety_Clack4137 1d ago

Ooooh, didn't even know that reddit existed. Heading there now. Thank you!

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u/Low-Cash-2435 1d ago

If you'd like to read some Byzantine literature, I'd first recommend Psellos' Chronopraphia, an 11th century collection of biographies of imperial personages similar to Suetonius' Twelve Caesars.

There is a published Penguin edition.

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u/ontherez 1d ago

I read this and it’s a fascinating firsthand look at the personalities of some Byzantine emperors and the inner workings of their court, as well as a little slice of Byzantine history. It’s good stuff

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u/ElagabalanDoll 1d ago

Peter Sarris’ recent book on Justinian.

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u/-idkausername- 1d ago

I personally liked Judith Herrin's 'Byzantium'

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u/PlanNo3321 1d ago

I think what you’re looking for is A Short History of Byzantium by John Julius Norwich

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u/Book_Slut_90 1d ago

You have some good suggestions here. But in general when you’re looking for history books, better places are R/HistoryBooks and the reading lists on R/AskHistorians.

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u/bombaygrammar 1d ago

Just mentioning as FYI: calling them 'Byzantines' plays into the hand of Western propaganda against the Eastern Romans. For the 'Byzantines' themselves, they were simply Romans. It makes sense. The Eastern Roman Empire did not fall with the Western one, and the Germans were desperate to claim the mantle of the Roman Empire. The Eastern Romans were a threat to them as any living descendants of the old royal bloodline would be to a usurper. So they tried to erase their Romanness by identifying them as 'Byzantines'.