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A review by red_lemon_diary
Ghost Empire by Richard Fidler
5.0
4.5 stars. I visited Istanbul in 2018 and remember vividly the first time I stepped into the Hagia Sophia. It's a remarkable building (that took a mere 5 years to build in 532AD!) - you can imagine what an impression such a massive, otherworldy space would have on people nearly 1500 years ago, let alone today. It's one of the main (intact) relics of the Romans still standing in the city.
But the rest of beautiful Istanbul is cluttered with crumbling ruins of its past, like the remains of the lonely Theodosian Walls. I was left wondering...what happened to this Byzantine lot then? What went wrong?
Ghost Empire by Richard Fielder provides an excellent answer, a compelling account of the rise and fall of Constantinople, the last great city of the Romans and easily one of the best history books I've read.
So many different interesting stories are weaved into a 1000+ year narrative that alternates between a trip in the present day with the author and his son, drawing human connections across time between the intrigues of the various back-stabbing, scandalous plotting emperors and the present day. One of my main takeaways is that those emperors seriously loved gouging out the eyes of their *insert family relation*. A good thing some traditions didn't last...
Though ultimately the story of Constantinople is one of gradual decline, they still hung on for over 1000 years and continue to have an influence on the world to this day. You couldn't ask for a more fascinating and accessible account. Read this book!
But the rest of beautiful Istanbul is cluttered with crumbling ruins of its past, like the remains of the lonely Theodosian Walls. I was left wondering...what happened to this Byzantine lot then? What went wrong?
Ghost Empire by Richard Fielder provides an excellent answer, a compelling account of the rise and fall of Constantinople, the last great city of the Romans and easily one of the best history books I've read.
So many different interesting stories are weaved into a 1000+ year narrative that alternates between a trip in the present day with the author and his son, drawing human connections across time between the intrigues of the various back-stabbing, scandalous plotting emperors and the present day. One of my main takeaways is that those emperors seriously loved gouging out the eyes of their *insert family relation*. A good thing some traditions didn't last...
Though ultimately the story of Constantinople is one of gradual decline, they still hung on for over 1000 years and continue to have an influence on the world to this day. You couldn't ask for a more fascinating and accessible account. Read this book!