Byzantinists have been for a long time been waiting for a comprehensive book on the Byzantine Empire. While there are other books out there, the books are generally written more in academic manner and not as accessible for the average reader. While I love academic works, I really want Byzantine history to be something that takes it place alongside the teaching of Roman history. This is a story that needs to be told and people need to respect it.
All too often, this history is ignored by historians. It is a great thing that somebody is taking a chance at writing an accessible history that covers the Byzantine Empire. Academics do a great job within their own circles, but sometimes there is need for popular history in order to get this sort of narrative out to the public.
Anthony Kaldellis has done much great work at getting the story of the Byzantine Empire out to the general public. I believe that his books and his podcast, the Byzantium and Friends, provides an important resource for anyone that is interested in this topic. One area that Anthony Kaldellis has contributed so much is the area of literature, especially in historical books that deal with this history.
His books, especially Streams of Gold, Rivers of Blood are some of his very best books on the topic of Middle Byzantium. However, it seems with the New Roman Empire, he is going to be covering the whole of Byzantine history from Constantine’s conversion to Christianity to the rise of the Ottomans and the fall of Constantinople to Sultan Mehmed II. This is a truly exciting development. I have been wanting a somewhat academic book that talks about the history of the Byzantine Empire for years and this seems to be the one that I have been longing. Hopefully it’s a great piece of historical analysis.
Covering over a millennium of history is not an easy task for any writer. I believe Anthony Kaldellis is up to the task. He has shown that he knows the topic and has worked greatly to expand the reach of the topic. What I think that is important is that the author tries to make sure that New Roman Empire is a comprehensive look at the Byzantine realm, especially with regards to how the Empire evolved over time.
Anthony Kaldellis is the man or writing this book and I hope every Byzantinist gets their hand on this book and spreads the word about it.
Byzantine-Empire.com 