The Eagle Has Two Faces: Journeys Through Byzantine Europe

by Alex Billinis

The Double Headed Eagle, the symbol of the Late Byzantine Empire, speaks eloquently to the worldview of the Byzantines, whose Empire looked both to the East and to the West, but never was-or is-really part of either. At its apogee, the Byzantine Empire was the highest civilization in Europe-the Center. This Double Headed Eagle is cherished by the Balkan Orthodox successors to Byzantium, and versions of it grace the national flags of Serbia, Montenegro, and even Albania. Encroached upon by both the Muslim East and the Catholic West, the Byzantine Eagle succumbed, only to emerge, in a state of arrested development, after several hundred years of Turkish or Western Catholic rule. This stunted progression emerges time and again in the civic culture, architecture, economics, and politics of the region, and has direct relevance on political and economic issues today, including Greece's present financial malaise, and the breakup of Yugoslavia in the 1990s. Traveling through this Ex-Byzantine zone, Billinis offers history, architecture, personal experiences, and numerous anecdotes to expound on key central themes. First, that the Balkan Orthodox nations form a common culture and virtual commonwealth, while still maintaining ethnic, geographical, and linguistic diversity. Without understanding this common Byzantine base, it is impossible to appreciate and to understand the region. Second, the common experience of Turkish rule, while preserving Byzantine culture and insulating the Orthodox religion from Catholic encroachment, did so by cutting off Byzantine Europe from economic, political, cultural, and civic development in progress in Western Europe. The states that emerged from this condition were-and are-ill prepared to contribute and to compete in modern Europe, and in a globalized world. Finally, throughout, there is a sense that history, rather than linear, runs

160 pages, Paperback

First published November 29, 2010

Reviews

[W.F. Jamesson-Bryant · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a pretty good book if you're interested in a brief overview of the history of Greece and the Balkans after the fall of the Byzantine Empire, the history of the various Orthodox religions of Greece and the Balkans, and a bit of a travel guide.
After reading it, I have added the cities of Thessaloniki(Saloniki) and Mystras(Mystra) to my Byzantine history travel itinerary.
Unfortunately, various and sundry typographical errors point to poor editing of the final manuscript and must to be considered when rating the book.