Byzantium was one of the greatest empires that ever existed. It reigned
over extensive regions around the Mediterranean and in Eastern Europe
from its founding by Constantine in 324 to the fall of Constantinople in
1453. During this period, its emperors had not only secular powers but
also religious, dominating the Orthodox church that spread into Slavic
lands. However, internal divisions, rivalry with the West, and the
relentless battle against invaders, including the Ottomans, would
eventually weaken the Byzantine Empire, and although it disappeared half
a millennia ago, its influences can still be seen today in Eastern
Orthodoxy and Byzantine art and archaeology. The A to Z of Byzantium
covers an impressively long period of over a thousand years, balancing
the high points as it expanded and flourished and the low points when it
was pushed back. The major events are first marked in the chronology and
then expanded upon in the introduction. What actually transpired can
then be seen in greater detail through several hundred cross-referenced
dictionary entries describing important persons, institutions, events,
and significant aspects of the economy, society, culture, religion, and
warfare. A bibliography of supplementary material concludes the book.