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A review by kiwi_fruit
Ghost Empire by Richard Fidler
5.0
The scope of this book is ambitious, and yet Fidler manages to squeeze in 500 pages the story of one of the most beautiful and fascinating cities of the ancient world. Constantinople became the richest, most lavish and most important Christian city in the world. The history of this enchanting city is presented in an accessible and engaging way: from its beginnings as a Greek settlement in 657 BC with the name of Byzantium, to its inauguration as the new Roman capital by Constantin I bearing the new name of Constantinople, down the dazzling number of rulers and generals, including shrewd emperors and fascinating empresses (whose lives featured murders, beheading, betrayals, incest, nose mutilation and blinding), to the prolonged siege that saw the city fall to the sultan Mehmet II of the Ottoman Turks.
The reader follows Fidler and his son, Joe, who travel to Europe in 2014, on a quest to visit the places of the late Byzantine Empire. Part travelogue part history book, the author mix legends with historical accounts to recreate the wonder and richness of the vanished empire that lasted for a millennium after the collapse of the Western Roman empire (Constantinople was founded in 330 AD and the Byzantine empire ended in 1543 AD). The author takes some interesting detours from his tale to introduce the Western romans (which Fidler calls Latins reserving the name Romans for the Byzantines), the Persian empire, the Arabs, the Vikings, etc. without losing the focus of the book.
Fidler is a marvelous storyteller, despite not being a historian, his work is well researched. He provides maps and images of architectural structures, statues, artifacts etc., includes precise dates and places, carefully retracing the genealogical roots of important historical figures. The end of the book includes notes and an extensive bibliography for reference and further study.
I would highly recommend this book to any reader, you won’t be disappointed by this one. 4.5 stars
The reader follows Fidler and his son, Joe, who travel to Europe in 2014, on a quest to visit the places of the late Byzantine Empire. Part travelogue part history book, the author mix legends with historical accounts to recreate the wonder and richness of the vanished empire that lasted for a millennium after the collapse of the Western Roman empire (Constantinople was founded in 330 AD and the Byzantine empire ended in 1543 AD). The author takes some interesting detours from his tale to introduce the Western romans (which Fidler calls Latins reserving the name Romans for the Byzantines), the Persian empire, the Arabs, the Vikings, etc. without losing the focus of the book.
Fidler is a marvelous storyteller, despite not being a historian, his work is well researched. He provides maps and images of architectural structures, statues, artifacts etc., includes precise dates and places, carefully retracing the genealogical roots of important historical figures. The end of the book includes notes and an extensive bibliography for reference and further study.
I would highly recommend this book to any reader, you won’t be disappointed by this one. 4.5 stars