BOOKS: Lost to the West

Hagia Sophia, Constantinople

Rome never fell! When Rome in 476 BC was overrun by Barbarian hordes, sacked and burned by the Visigoths and the Vandals, the empire did not end; instead its power shifted to Constantinople in the east__ and the Byzantine or Eastern Empire was born. Byzantium would last another 1000 years until 1453 when it finally succumbed to the invasions of the Ottoman Turks. In a recently published book, "Lost to the West The Forgotten Byzantine Empire that Rescued Western Civilization," Lars Brownsworth brings to light the importance the Byzantine Empire played in preserving and spreading the classical heritage of the West while Western Europe slipped into the Dark Ages. The importance of the Byzantine Empire is often underplayed and Brownsworth's book brings an often neglected period of history to light. The glory of the Byzantine Empire is widely known to scholars, but the popular general perception is that "Byzantine" only means corruption and deception. True there was plenty of murderous corruption and deception to go around, but this was also a glorious empire that was a prime preserver of much of what is good about Western culture__its art, its philosophy and its political theory. The Christians fleeing the downfall of Byzantium would carry the seeds of Western culture that would fan the flames of the European Renaissance."Lost to the West" is popular history at its best. Brownsworth has a knack for storytelling and brings the vibrant life and characters of the Empire to the fore. In 300 pages he manages to cover every aspect of this fascinating empire: its wars, its prosperity and poverty, its rulers and its decline. Covering so much in so few pages does lead inevitably to some want of detail, especially in the depth given to the emperors and their polices, however Brownsworth gives enough detail to wet the appetite of the interested reader who wants to pursue further study.