Beginning Byzantium

A resource list of books, primary sources, websites, and more!

Wondering where to begin with Byzantium?

Hopefully, if you’re here, you’ve thought about beginning with my Substack!

A couple of months ago, I started writing a series called ‘Byzantium for Beginners.’ In doing so, I hoped that I’d start finding a route to make Byzantine history more accessible and entertaining for people outside of the academic discipline.

I thought that I’d reach a couple of people, and I decided at the time that I’d be happy if I inspired ten more people to read more about Byzantium.

Somehow, today, I’m writing this for an audience of 1,000 subscribers (!!!) The response to the Byzantium for Beginners series and to Byzantine history that I’ve seen is one of the greatest joys of my academic career.

I am struggling to find the words, a little, so I thought that it was time to let other people — Byzantines themselves, historians, archivists, and other lovers of the Late Antique and Byzantine past — do some of the talking.

This post is essentially a master list of Byzantine resources, that I’ve gathered and used over the years. I imagine that, as we go along this journey together, and as I start to introduce more series with more theoretical and/or academic elements, that there are going to be people who want to be keeping up with the primary material, or who want to be able to read further around particular topics. This list is meant to facilitate that.

This post is going to be updated every few months or so. I’ll add in new links, new translations of primary sources, good articles or books that have been recently published, etc.

I hope there is something in this list for everyone. Like I said, it will be grow over time, and it is fundamentally based on what you all, my incredible Byzantinists, are interested in. So, if you have a particular source that you’d like me to try and find for you, or if you read, watch, or listen to something that you think deserves to be here, then comment or send me a message!

I started studying Byzantium eight years ago. It was a weird and niche thing to be doing. But something about this history hooked me, and I’ve never been able to shake it off. I’m so grateful for this platform. Thank you all for caring about Byzantium and history and all the wonderful things that this remarkable world still has to offer. Thank you for the incredible, thought-provoking questions and comments. Thank you for reading my chaotically-scheduled work.

Most of all, thank you for joining me on this wild adventure into my Roman Empire.

Getting started…

Reference collection

The Oxford Handbook of Byzantine Studies - eds. Robin Cormack, John Haldon, Elizabeth Jeffreys

The Cambridge History of the Byzantine Empire - ed. Jonathan Shepherd

The Cambridge Ancient History, vol.12 - eds. Alan Bowman, Averil Cameron, Peter Garnsey

A Companion to Byzantium - ed. Liz James

The Palgrave Atlas of Byzantine History - John Haldon

The Glory of Byzantium & Early Christendom - Antony Eastmond (a bit of a tome/coffee table book)

Byzantium: A Very Short Introduction - Peter Sarris (my boyfriend used this to get familiar with the field, and it has proven very successful thus far!)

Important texts

Julian the Apostate - Glen Bowersock

Byzantium in the Iconoclast Era, c. 680-850 - Leslie Brubaker

Inventing Byzantine Iconoclasm - Leslie Brubaker

The Last Pagans of Rome - Alan Cameron

Circus Factions - Alan Cameron

The Byzantines - Averil Cameron

The Mediterranean World in Late Antiquity: AD 395-700 - Averil Cameron

Procopius and the Sixth-Century - Averil Cameron

Byzantine Art - Robin Cormack

The Byzantine Eye - Robin Cormack

Painting the Soul - Robin Cormack

Writing in Gold - Robin Cormack

A History of the Later Roman Empire - Geoffrey Greatrex

The Lost World of Byzantium - Jonathan Harris

Byzantium: A History - John Haldon

The Empire That Would Not Die: The Paradox of Eastern Roman Survival, 640–740 - John Haldon

The Byzantine Wars - John Haldon

Empires and Barbarians: The Fall of Rome and the Birth of Europe - Peter Heather

Ravenna: Capital of Empire, Crucible of Europe - Judith Herrin

Byzantium: The Surprising Life of a Medieval Empire - Judith Herrin

Women in Purple - Judith Herrin

Unrivalled Influence: Women and Empire in Byzantium - Judith Herrin

A Cabinet of Byzantine Curiosities - Anthony Kaldellis

The New Roman Empire - Anthony Kaldellis

Streams of Gold, Rivers of Blood - Anthony Kaldellis

Romanland: Ethnicity and Empire in Byzantium - Anthony Kaldellis

Byzantium: The Empire of New Rome - Cyril Mango

The Art of the Byzantine Empire, 312-1453 - Cyril Mango

Byzantium: The Early Centuries - John Julius Norwich

Byzantium: The Apogee - John Julius Norwich

Byzantium: The Decline and Fall - John Julius Norwich

A Short History of Byzantium - John Julius Norwich

Justinian: Emperor, Soldier, Saint - Peter Sarris

Constantine: Unconquered Emperor, Christian Victor - Paul Stephenson

New Rome: The Roman Empire in the East, AD 395-700 - Paul Stephenson

The Fall of Rome - Bryan Ward-Perkins

The Wars of Justinian I - Michael Whitby

Primary sources

I’ve only provided sources with accessible online translations for the time being. Note that entries with an asterisk can be purchased relatively easily through online retailers.

3rd-4th centuries

Ammianus Marcellinus, History of the Later Roman Empire - Hamilton translation, IA

Eusebius of Caesarea, Ecclesiastical History - Loeb edition, Kirsopp Lake translation from 1926, IA (*)

Julian the Apostate, Misopognon - Loeb edition, Wilmer translation, page-by-page from the Misopognon website (*)

5th century

Socrates Scholasticus, Ecclesiastical History - anon. translation, IA

Sozomen, Ecclesiastical History - Walford translation, IA

6th century

Procopius, The History of the Wars - Loeb edition, Dewing translations, IA (*)

Agathias, The Histories - De Gruyter edition, Frendo translation, IA

Maurice, Strategikon - Dennis translation, IA (*) (6-7th centuries)

7th century

Theophylact Simocatta, History - Whitby & Whitby translation, IA

Ps.Sebeos, Armenian History - Bedrosian translation, IA

8th century

St. John of Damascus, The Fount of Knowledge - Chase translation, IA (*)

Theodore Studite, On the Holy Icons - Roth translation, IA (*)

9th century

Leo VI ‘the Wise,’ Tatika - Dumbarton Oaks series, Dennis translation, IA*

Theophanes the Confessor, Chronicle - Mango translation, IA

10th century

Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus, De Administrando Imperio - Dumbarton Oaks series, Jenkins translation, IA (*)

Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus, De Ceremoniis (The Book of Ceremonies) - Brill edition, Moffat & Tall translation, IA (*)

11th century

Anna Komnena, The Alexiad - Sewter translation, IA

Michael Psellos, Chronographia - 1953 translation, IA

12th century

Niketas Choniates, Annals - Magoulias translation, IA

Theodore Prodromos, Poems - Alexiou translation, IA

Digenis Akritis - Mavrogordato translation, IA

13th century

George Akropolites, History - Macrides translation, IA

14th-15th centuries

John VI Kantakouzenos, History (book III only) - B.S. McLaughlin, PhD Dissertation translation (Royal Holloway, University of London)

George Sphrantzes, The Fall of the Byzantine Empire: A Chronicle - Philippides translation, IA

Useful websites

The Byzantine Legacy - extremely accessible and well-researched site with a huge amount of information, particularly about Byzantine sites in and around Constantinople

The Last Statues of Antiquity Database - an excellent project run by Bryan Ward-Perkins, dedicated to cataloguing statues from c.2nd century AD - c.6th century AD

ORBIS: The Stanford Geospatial Network Model of the Roman World - wonderful resource that allows you to map out how far it would take you to travel from one point in Rome to another, adjusting for season, transport type, military/civilian travel

Manar al-Athar - a searchable archive of archaeological sites across the Mediterranean, focusing on the near East, with a chronological range dating from Alexander the Great to the Islamic Caliphates

New Advent - has a database of texts written by the Church Fathers, usually pretty good translations

The Metropolitan Museum of Art - Search for their Byzantine collection

The British Museum Website collection search - searching ‘Late Roman’ ‘Late Antique’ and ‘Byzantine’ will usually yield some good results

Dumbarton Oaks online resources - the premier North American institution for Byzantine research

Villa Chiragan - A website dedicated to the collection of the Villa Chiragan’s Roman statuary, in St. Raymond, Tolouse

Ancient Ports and Coastal Settlements Catalogue - site with information about ancient coastal activities

Papyri.info - a great resource for searching for papyri, from all periods, with corresponding Trismegistos / published classifications

Misopognon - a fabulous website entirely dedicated to the Emperor Julian, with a translation of the Misopognon available

Encyclopaedia Iranica - a resource dedicated to the study of Iranian civilisations through time

Podcasts

Byzantium & Friends - hosted by Antony Kaldellis, featuring expert guests at the forefront of academic Byzantine research. Get started here for an enthralling, truly educational grounding in the major historical and historiographical points of Byzantine History. The Empress of Byzantium would not exist without this podcast!

The Rest is History - hosted by Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook; have some episodes dedicated to Late Antique and Byzantine history

Classical Antiquity Sidequest - hosted by Ben Byrd, who is so wonderful and has some absolutely incredible and super-qualified guests on. Especially great if you’re a fan of Classics proper.

Major museums and sites to visit

Istanbul

The Hagia Sophia (Ayasoffya Mosque)

The Chora (Kariye Mosque)

Istanbul Archaeological Museum

Sultanahmet Square - located between the Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sophia, contains the ruins of the Hippodrome & the obelisks that punctuated its spina

Theodosian Walls

Aqueduct of Valens

Italy

Ravenna

The Arian Baptistry

The Neonian Baptistery

Basilica San Vitale

Basilica Sant'Apollinare Nuovo

The Mausoleum of ‘Galla Placidia’

Palace of Theoderic

Basilica Sant'Apollinare in Classe

National Museum of Ravenna

Archiepiscopal Museum of Ravenna

Venice

St. Mark’s Cathedral

Rome

Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore

Sicily

Palermo

The Cappella Palatina

Martorana Church

Piazza Armerina

Villa Romana del Casale

Greece

Athens

Benaki Museum

Byzantine and Christian Museum

Daphni Monastery - 11th century monastery in an Athenian suburb

Hosios Loukas Monastery - 2 hour drive from central Athens, a Byzantine monastery dating to the 10th century

Peloponnese

Mystras - 2 hours 45 minutes drive from central Athens, a late Byzantine site, which served as the capital of the Despotate of Morea, in the 14th and 15th centuries (after the fall of Constantinople)

Islands

Nea Moni Monastery, Chios - a mid-11th century monastery built by Constantine IX Monomachos and the Empress Zoe

Miscellaneous

Found this wonderful Youtube Video by Tom Ayling (a rare bookseller who I used to follow obsessively when I was still on Tiktok) talking about Procopius’ Secret History and its publication in 1653!