A History of Byzantium

This is a new edition of Gregory′s widely praised narrative of Byzantine history from the time of Constantine the Great (AD 306–337) to the fall of Constantinople in 1453. Gregory uses the chronological political history of the empire as a narrative frame, but balances politics with a consideration of social and economic life and the rich culture of Byzantium. Visual documents, such as photographs of art and architecture, are used alongside the text to illustrate discussions about life in the Byzantine Empire. This second edition provides a deeper insight into social and economic conditions of the time, with more emphasis on how ordinary people lived during the history of the Empire. New research has been incorporated – much from archaeological sources – and there is fuller coverage of the middle and later Byzantine periods. A wider discussion of the relationship between Byzantium and the broader world has been added, as well as an annotated, extended bibliography, new photographs and maps, and a guide to Byzantine web resources. Based on the very latest scholarship, and written in a clear, narrative prose, this fascinating volume is an ideal introduction to Byzantine History.

List of Figures vii List of Maps x List of Boxes xi Preface to the Second Edition xiv Preface to the First Edition xvi Introduction 1 1 The Crisis of the Third Century 23 2 The Revival under Diocletian 36 3 The Age of Constantine the Great 49 4 The Fourth Century: Constantius II to Theodosios I 72 5 The Fifth Century 103 6 The Age of Justinian 129 7 The Byzantine "Dark Ages": Late Sixth and Seventh Centuries 160 8 The Isaurian Dynasty and Iconoclasm 198 9 Continued Struggle over Ikons 220 10 The Beginnings of the Macedonian Dynasty 242 11 The Apogee of Byzantine Power 265 12 The Komnenoi 290 13 The Aftermath of the Fourth Crusade 330 14 The Beginnings of Decline 347 15 The End of the Empire 383 16 Byzantium after the Fall of the City 401 Glossary 421 General Bibliography 428 A Selection of Primary Sources in English Translation 435 List of Byzantine Rulers 438 Comparative Chronology 444 Electronic Resources 448 Index 451

Timothy E. Gregory is Professor of Byzantine History at Ohio State University where he is also Adjunct Professor of Anthropology. He is the author of Vox Populi (1979), Isthmia V. The Fortress and the Hexamilion (1993), The Corinthia in the Roman Period (1993), archaeology editor of The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium (1991), and Director of the Ohio State University Excavations at Isthmia (Greece).