As some of you may know, I have a degree in history. It was my favorite subject in high school as well. Although I am not employed in the field, I still enjoy reading history books. One of the areas of history that I am particularly interested in is Byzantine history. In today's post, I would like to recommend a few of the books on the subject that I have enjoyed.
For those who are just starting out in the study of Byzantine history, the trilogy on Byzantium written by John Julius Norwich is a good place to begin. These three volumes are well-written, and they cover the whole range of Byzantine history from the time of Constantine to the final collapse of Constantinople.
The three books in this series are "Byzantium: The Early Centuries," "Byzantium: The Apogee," and "Byzantium: The Decline and Fall." By the way, this author has also written excellent histories of Venice and Sicily.
There are two books that I have enjoyed written about empresses of the Byzantine Empire. "Women in Purple" by Judith Herrin and "Theodora:Empress of Byzantium" by Paolo Cesarreti are two well-written books.
For those seeking a primary source from the period, Anna Comnena the daughter of Emperor Alexius wrote a book about her father called the "Alexiad". This is a very interesting account of life in the Empire.
One other book that I would like to mention is "Fourteen Byzantine Rulers" written by Michael Psellus.
These are just a few of the many books on this subject. If you are like me, once you begin the study of Byzantium, you will want to know more and more.
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