Description
The earthly empire of Byzantium dominated the political and religious history of Europe for over a thousand years. The Byzantines regarded their earthly empire as a reflection of God's empire in heaven, and this ideology was manifested in their politics, religion, and art. In this introduction to the history of Byzantium, from the fourth to the fourteenth century, Rowena Loverance draws on the British Museum's rich collections of spectacular Byzantine silver, ivories, jewelry, and icons, as well as pieces from the empire's Persian and Germanic neighbors. This revised edition, featuring a new introduction, is updated to include the most recent finds and interpretations.
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Byzantium, the Roman empire in the eastern Mediterranean, dominated the political and religious face of Europe for over a thousand years. In this introduction, Rowena Loverance traces the history of the empire from the founding of its capital Constantinople in A.D. 330, to its capture by the Ottoman Turks in 1453. Many of the outstanding political and religious events, and the personalities behind them, are reflected in the art of the period. The author draws on the British Museum's extremely rich collections to illustrate the story - including spectacular Byzantine silver, ivories, jewellery and icons, as well as pieces from the empire's neighbours and enemies from Persia, Asia Minor and Western Europe.
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