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La civiltà bizantina
Economia e società, educazione e mentalità, letteratura e architettura, arte e ideali di vita: questi i grandi temi scelti da Cyril Mango per presentare la civiltà bizantina (324-1453 d.C.). «Mi interessava prestare attenzione a ciò che i bizantini pensavano – pensavano a proposito di se stessi e degli altri, del passato e del futuro, di come si debba vivere la vita». Come in un trittico, tre ‘tavole’ guidano il lettore. Nella prima Cyril Mango delinea i principali aspetti della vita dei bizantini: popoli e lingue, società ed economia, scomparsa e rinascita delle città, i dissenzienti, il monachesimo, l’istruzione. Nella seconda, descrive il corpus di credenze comuni al bizantino ‘medio’: il suo rapporto con le potenze del bene e del male, il suo posto nella natura, nella storia, il suo atteggiamento nei confronti degli altri popoli, il suo ideale di umanità. Nell’ultima, illustra i lasciti maggiori di Bisanzio: la letteratura, l’arte e l’architettura.
470 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1980
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482 people want to read
About the author
Cyril Mango
43 books24 followersCyril Alexander Mango is a British scholar in the history, art, and architecture of the Byzantine Empire. He is a former King's College London and Oxford professor of Byzantine and Modern Greek Language and Literature. He is the brother of Andrew Mango.
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
October 24, 2020
Mango’s Work Bears Fruit
Despite my rather flippant title, this is a very serious, well-written book. Whether or not you will read from start to finish certainly depends on how keen you are on the fine details of the Byzantine Empire, which lasted from the 4th century A.D. to 1453, when Constantinople became Istanbul.
The first part of the book, excellent in its execution, demolishes a lot of ideas you might have had about Byzantium. It was by no means a solidly Greek state. Though Greek might have been the official language, there were Slavs, Arabs, Jews, Armenians, Georgians, Vlachs, Albanians, and other ethnic groups that played major roles, even producing emperors at times. Though agriculture was the main occupation of people in the empire, slaves played a very minor role in it. They mainly served in homes in the cities, while the farmers labored for the large landowners. Yet, Mango says, there was not really a feudal system in place. The landowners were known as decurions and often wound up as the civil servants or professionals in urban areas; forming the intellectual class in different periods. There was no fixed method of imperial succession and, says the author, rule was usually by “the palace” rather than by a lone individual. Byzantium, though very long-lasting, endured an endless series of threats, disorders, and disasters. At times war, disease and earthquakes nearly brought the polity to a finish. The population would decrease dramatically, but after a century or two, return to strength. So, we can’t look at Byzantium as a power over a thousand years. It slowly shrank after 1000 A.D. until at the end, it comprised little more than Constantinople itself. If you ever read anything about Byzantium or Christianity, you no doubt encountered the many “heresies” that sprang up in the Near East over the centuries. Though such heresies had some ideological basis, the author claims that few people paid attention to them outside monasteries and the Orthodox hierarchy. Rather these actually more consisted of local religious hierarchies trying to assert themselves vis-à-vis the capital. As such, we come to understand why Egypt and Syria, where the Monophysite “heresy” had flourished and been persecuted by the Center, went over to Islam so easily in the 7th century.
So far, fascinating with easy-to-follow explanations. Then we come to second part of the book. I have never seen a similar book about Byzantium. This part is labelled “The Conceptual World of Byzantium” and is a detailed intellectual or philosophical history of the culture. Very erudite and crafted with expertise, the author covers such topics as “the world of good and evil”, “the physical world”, “the inhabitants of the earth”, “the past and future of Mankind” and “the ideal life”. In such chapters he tries to present what the Byzantines conceived about such things, or at least, what we can deduce that they thought, given the paucity of surviving literature. He has to present the ideas of numerous Byzantine authors. Readers who are not professionally interested in Byzantium may begin to sink here under the weight of vast numbers of names. The third section of the book, about Byzantine literature, art, and architecture, is similarly difficult to wade through, but if you persist you may learn a great deal. He says, for example, that Byzantine authors copied the work of ancient, pre-Christian Greeks, but never really comprehended their spirit. I have given this obviously five star book only four stars to alert potential readers that it should be placed in the “hard slog” category. Scholars must read this book for sure.
Despite my rather flippant title, this is a very serious, well-written book. Whether or not you will read from start to finish certainly depends on how keen you are on the fine details of the Byzantine Empire, which lasted from the 4th century A.D. to 1453, when Constantinople became Istanbul.
The first part of the book, excellent in its execution, demolishes a lot of ideas you might have had about Byzantium. It was by no means a solidly Greek state. Though Greek might have been the official language, there were Slavs, Arabs, Jews, Armenians, Georgians, Vlachs, Albanians, and other ethnic groups that played major roles, even producing emperors at times. Though agriculture was the main occupation of people in the empire, slaves played a very minor role in it. They mainly served in homes in the cities, while the farmers labored for the large landowners. Yet, Mango says, there was not really a feudal system in place. The landowners were known as decurions and often wound up as the civil servants or professionals in urban areas; forming the intellectual class in different periods. There was no fixed method of imperial succession and, says the author, rule was usually by “the palace” rather than by a lone individual. Byzantium, though very long-lasting, endured an endless series of threats, disorders, and disasters. At times war, disease and earthquakes nearly brought the polity to a finish. The population would decrease dramatically, but after a century or two, return to strength. So, we can’t look at Byzantium as a power over a thousand years. It slowly shrank after 1000 A.D. until at the end, it comprised little more than Constantinople itself. If you ever read anything about Byzantium or Christianity, you no doubt encountered the many “heresies” that sprang up in the Near East over the centuries. Though such heresies had some ideological basis, the author claims that few people paid attention to them outside monasteries and the Orthodox hierarchy. Rather these actually more consisted of local religious hierarchies trying to assert themselves vis-à-vis the capital. As such, we come to understand why Egypt and Syria, where the Monophysite “heresy” had flourished and been persecuted by the Center, went over to Islam so easily in the 7th century.
So far, fascinating with easy-to-follow explanations. Then we come to second part of the book. I have never seen a similar book about Byzantium. This part is labelled “The Conceptual World of Byzantium” and is a detailed intellectual or philosophical history of the culture. Very erudite and crafted with expertise, the author covers such topics as “the world of good and evil”, “the physical world”, “the inhabitants of the earth”, “the past and future of Mankind” and “the ideal life”. In such chapters he tries to present what the Byzantines conceived about such things, or at least, what we can deduce that they thought, given the paucity of surviving literature. He has to present the ideas of numerous Byzantine authors. Readers who are not professionally interested in Byzantium may begin to sink here under the weight of vast numbers of names. The third section of the book, about Byzantine literature, art, and architecture, is similarly difficult to wade through, but if you persist you may learn a great deal. He says, for example, that Byzantine authors copied the work of ancient, pre-Christian Greeks, but never really comprehended their spirit. I have given this obviously five star book only four stars to alert potential readers that it should be placed in the “hard slog” category. Scholars must read this book for sure.
August 11, 2017
É característica inerente à historiografia portuguesa actual a crónica falta de livros de síntese de temáticas abrangentes. Um desses casos é o da história do Império Bizantino, acerca do qual praticamente não se encontram tais monografias disponíveis. O presente livro vem colmatar essa lacuna, no entanto, é de notar que, tendo sido traduzido para a nossa língua em 2008, a sua data de publicação remonta a 1980. Assim sendo esta síntese reflecte o estado da arte do referido tema até finais dos anos 1970. O autor segue os princípios metodológicos dos Annales, predominando as vertentes económica e social, bem como cultural, facto que torna a obra ainda atractiva aos olhos da presente historiografia. Contém uma lista bibliográfica extensa, diversificada com referências a trabalhos realizados em várias línguas que vão do grego ao alemão e ao russo, prevalecendo, contudo, o inglês e o francês.
Com vista ao melhor entendimento de nós próprios, é sempre salutar e muito instrutivo o estudo do outro. O mesmo se passa com a história, daí serem tão importantes estudos comparados de culturas e civilizações. Há todo um manto de esquecimento, ou de muito superficial referência, em volta do destino do Império Bizantino, ou, melhor dizendo, da história de todo o largo espectro geográfico que correspondeu ao Império Romano do Oriente após a queda do seu par ocidental, em 476. Raras vezes, exceptuando a expansão islâmica do século VII, as Cruzadas, a posição de Bizâncio como peça-chave nas rotas de comércio medieval entre Ocidente e Oriente, a ascensão do Império Otomano e a queda de Constantinopla, se incide a luz sobre esta entidade política na maior parte dos cursos de história das universidades portuguesas. É minha opinião que um estudo mais interessado por esta região geográfica enriquecerá em muito as nossas perspectivas sobre a história da Antiguidade Tardia e a Idade Média da Europa Ocidental. De entre os múltiplos pontos de interesse que detectei numa primeira leitura, encontram-se a evolução concordante da Igreja oriental com a ocidental, pelo menos até ao final do período inicial bizantino (meados do século VII), assim como um paralelismo entre as funções episcopais bizantinas e visigóticas. Num plano teológico, revela-se a ascendência grega das teorias escatológicas de Joaquim de Fiore, cujo pensamento é caro à filosofia de Agostinho da Silva, bem como de boa parte da teoria teológica cristã da alta Idade Média. A lenda do Preste João, que viria a obcecar a monarquia portuguesa no final de quatrocentos, remonta as suas origens também para manuscritos bizantinos. Um último foco de interesse é a predominante influência, não só religiosa, mas cultural, bizantina, que se estende muito para além da queda do império, nos Balcãs e na Rússia. Não só o alfabeto cirílico ou a igreja ortodoxa russa são subsidiárias de Bizâncio, mas também, para citar alguns exemplos, toda a arquitectura religiosa e principesca da velha Rússia, anterior a Pedro I, bem como os trajes de corte, as insígnias reais moscovitas e o grego como veículo de cultura (de notar que a primeira universidade russa, de finais do século XVII, foi dirigida por escolásticos gregos).
Com vista ao melhor entendimento de nós próprios, é sempre salutar e muito instrutivo o estudo do outro. O mesmo se passa com a história, daí serem tão importantes estudos comparados de culturas e civilizações. Há todo um manto de esquecimento, ou de muito superficial referência, em volta do destino do Império Bizantino, ou, melhor dizendo, da história de todo o largo espectro geográfico que correspondeu ao Império Romano do Oriente após a queda do seu par ocidental, em 476. Raras vezes, exceptuando a expansão islâmica do século VII, as Cruzadas, a posição de Bizâncio como peça-chave nas rotas de comércio medieval entre Ocidente e Oriente, a ascensão do Império Otomano e a queda de Constantinopla, se incide a luz sobre esta entidade política na maior parte dos cursos de história das universidades portuguesas. É minha opinião que um estudo mais interessado por esta região geográfica enriquecerá em muito as nossas perspectivas sobre a história da Antiguidade Tardia e a Idade Média da Europa Ocidental. De entre os múltiplos pontos de interesse que detectei numa primeira leitura, encontram-se a evolução concordante da Igreja oriental com a ocidental, pelo menos até ao final do período inicial bizantino (meados do século VII), assim como um paralelismo entre as funções episcopais bizantinas e visigóticas. Num plano teológico, revela-se a ascendência grega das teorias escatológicas de Joaquim de Fiore, cujo pensamento é caro à filosofia de Agostinho da Silva, bem como de boa parte da teoria teológica cristã da alta Idade Média. A lenda do Preste João, que viria a obcecar a monarquia portuguesa no final de quatrocentos, remonta as suas origens também para manuscritos bizantinos. Um último foco de interesse é a predominante influência, não só religiosa, mas cultural, bizantina, que se estende muito para além da queda do império, nos Balcãs e na Rússia. Não só o alfabeto cirílico ou a igreja ortodoxa russa são subsidiárias de Bizâncio, mas também, para citar alguns exemplos, toda a arquitectura religiosa e principesca da velha Rússia, anterior a Pedro I, bem como os trajes de corte, as insígnias reais moscovitas e o grego como veículo de cultura (de notar que a primeira universidade russa, de finais do século XVII, foi dirigida por escolásticos gregos).
December 28, 2016
Mango's views on Byzantine (or Eastern Roman, for the pedants) history and culture are presented clearly and forthrightly. He certainly isn't afraid to conceal his own opinions (and his occasional asides comparing the stultified Byzantine state with the declining Soviet Union of the 1980s stop being funny after the first few) but the writing is clear, the ideas interesting, and the book well laid-out. Those looking for a chronological history of the Byzantine Empire should look elsewhere; the book is organised in three sections devoted to the physical and political environment of the Byzantines, their conceptual world and their artistic legacy. All in all, a very good introduction to the subject
April 11, 2024
Although a lot of this was advanced for my knowledge, I enjoyed learning what I could about this time in history. The book gives a brief look at all aspects of life during the Byzantine era from everyday life to architecture, art and the religious effects on all of this.
I am sure I learned more than I realize, and things will come back to me at a later date as I continue to read more about this time. When I read things like this, I understand about 50% and retain about 50% of that but that's more than I knew when I started. It surprises me when reading or discussing more on this subject what comes to mind that I didn't even realize I had retained. I hope that makes sense but it's how I see it. Building knowledge one book at a time.
I am sure I learned more than I realize, and things will come back to me at a later date as I continue to read more about this time. When I read things like this, I understand about 50% and retain about 50% of that but that's more than I knew when I started. It surprises me when reading or discussing more on this subject what comes to mind that I didn't even realize I had retained. I hope that makes sense but it's how I see it. Building knowledge one book at a time.
August 17, 2014
Cyril Mango, Byzantium: The Empire of New Rome (New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1980). Pp. 334. Hardback $17.50.
This book is a bit old, but it's still a very good introduction for Eastern Roman Empire - a.k.a., the Byzantium Empire.
What makes this book a good introduction is that it's not your standard introduction that progresses chronologically through the history of a people. This book has very little information regarding events, names, dates, and such. Instead, Mango seeks to introduce the Byzantine Empire in three different ways: the aspects of Byzantine life, the conceptual world of Byzantium, and the legacy of the empire.
In the part that speaks of the aspects of Byzantine life, Mango writes about the people and language of the empire, which was very interesting. Byzantium was a very diverse empire, and much more than an empire of "Greeks." In this respect he has a lot to say to the Orthodox Churches that exist in America as they try to form an American identity. He also writes about how society and the economy was structured. In this way, one gets a sense of every day life. He also writes about the development and disappearance of cities, monasticism, and education. By the end of this section, one has a good sense of what life in the Empire was like from various different angles.
In the part that speaks about the conceptual world of Byzantium, Mango address the way the Byzantines understood themselves, the world, and the future. He looks at good vs. evil. He also explores how the Byzantines understood the larger world around them, and other peoples. We also learn about how the people of the Byzantine empire understood their past and their future, and what life ideal should be like. This chapter almost felt as if I was reading a book about the theology of the Orthodox Church. Mango draws very heavily on the Church Fathers, and other Patristic sources, as they were the ones that influenced how society understood itself. If anyone is interested in Eastern Orthodoxy, this chapter is must read.
Finally, Mango writes about the legacy of the Empire - what it has for us in the 21st century. Namely, he looks at the literature of the Empire, which can still be read today - and is still largely used by the Orthodox Church. He also looks at the art and architecture of the empire, which is the most visible and accessible aspect of the Byzantines.
In short, I highly recommend this book if one is looking for a good introduction - especially if you want a book that is more than just dates and events.
This book is a bit old, but it's still a very good introduction for Eastern Roman Empire - a.k.a., the Byzantium Empire.
What makes this book a good introduction is that it's not your standard introduction that progresses chronologically through the history of a people. This book has very little information regarding events, names, dates, and such. Instead, Mango seeks to introduce the Byzantine Empire in three different ways: the aspects of Byzantine life, the conceptual world of Byzantium, and the legacy of the empire.
In the part that speaks of the aspects of Byzantine life, Mango writes about the people and language of the empire, which was very interesting. Byzantium was a very diverse empire, and much more than an empire of "Greeks." In this respect he has a lot to say to the Orthodox Churches that exist in America as they try to form an American identity. He also writes about how society and the economy was structured. In this way, one gets a sense of every day life. He also writes about the development and disappearance of cities, monasticism, and education. By the end of this section, one has a good sense of what life in the Empire was like from various different angles.
In the part that speaks about the conceptual world of Byzantium, Mango address the way the Byzantines understood themselves, the world, and the future. He looks at good vs. evil. He also explores how the Byzantines understood the larger world around them, and other peoples. We also learn about how the people of the Byzantine empire understood their past and their future, and what life ideal should be like. This chapter almost felt as if I was reading a book about the theology of the Orthodox Church. Mango draws very heavily on the Church Fathers, and other Patristic sources, as they were the ones that influenced how society understood itself. If anyone is interested in Eastern Orthodoxy, this chapter is must read.
Finally, Mango writes about the legacy of the Empire - what it has for us in the 21st century. Namely, he looks at the literature of the Empire, which can still be read today - and is still largely used by the Orthodox Church. He also looks at the art and architecture of the empire, which is the most visible and accessible aspect of the Byzantines.
In short, I highly recommend this book if one is looking for a good introduction - especially if you want a book that is more than just dates and events.
November 25, 2018
Doğu Roma İmparatorluğu hakkında akademik araştırma yapmak isteyenler için çok güzel bir kitap.
Anlatılan konular yazar tarafından aşırı ölçüde örneklenmiş ve çok yönlü bir şekilde anlatılmış. Hem kanıt amaçlı, hem de sizin daha çok araştırma yapmanıza olanak sağlamak için onlarca kez başka kitaplara atıf yapılmış.
Sadece meraklı olduğu için okuyan biri bir süre sonra sıkılabilir.
Anlatılan konular yazar tarafından aşırı ölçüde örneklenmiş ve çok yönlü bir şekilde anlatılmış. Hem kanıt amaçlı, hem de sizin daha çok araştırma yapmanıza olanak sağlamak için onlarca kez başka kitaplara atıf yapılmış.
Sadece meraklı olduğu için okuyan biri bir süre sonra sıkılabilir.
Read
September 28, 2023Great book on the Ancient Byzantines. Especially liked that in the 2nd part he took time to explain the 'Thought World' of the people so their ideas and religious feelings were more understandable to us Moderns.
Also liked that he spent time explaining the REAL cost of things in his economic sections, this is something I wish more Historians would do... Yes maybe the peasants earned ___ amount of 'solidus in a month but how is that comparable to us? How long and hard did they have to work?
This is exactly what he does in describing how much a simple New Testament book cost the equivalent of 60 working days of a labourers wages! That was just one of other examples he used.
Also liked that he spent time explaining the REAL cost of things in his economic sections, this is something I wish more Historians would do... Yes maybe the peasants earned ___ amount of 'solidus in a month but how is that comparable to us? How long and hard did they have to work?
This is exactly what he does in describing how much a simple New Testament book cost the equivalent of 60 working days of a labourers wages! That was just one of other examples he used.
February 5, 2020
This is getting to be an old book now, but reading it cover-to-cover I think it still stands up as the best overall beginner's guide to studying Byzantium. Less 'popular' than Judith Herrin's excellent book, but taking the same engaging thematic route through the subject, it manages to be full of illuminating details without getting bogged down in chronology or over-long discussion of complex and hotly-debated topics.
JM 05/02/2020
JM 05/02/2020
August 25, 2024
The author considers Byzantine life by covering topics as people, languages, economy, and society. He discusses at great length the disappearance of cities and their ultimate revival after a long period of elapsed time. Further he covers education in Byzantium and monasticism throughout the Empire.
He points out the problems with the surviving historical records and how they have influenced the story of Byzantium.
If you have an interest in. Byzantine life, the book is a good source. It is difficult to find ; so, good luck with your search
He points out the problems with the surviving historical records and how they have influenced the story of Byzantium.
If you have an interest in. Byzantine life, the book is a good source. It is difficult to find ; so, good luck with your search
June 30, 2021
Nulla da dire sulla ricerca, ma le informazioni sono esposte in maniera aridissima.
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May 18, 2022Only social studies / history students should read this. It is indeed very detailed for the ordinary person. The outlines are great though.
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October 9, 2022*constantinople*
December 27, 2023
Mango goes through the archaeological evidence to give a better picture of the worldview and culture of the Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantium). Religion and conservatism permeated absolutely all aspects of life. It is not possible to bisect it from the Orthodox Church and the State, they are a single unity. The state itself was a mirror of God’s heavenly court. The anachronistic unique role of monks and monasteries within society was an interesting topic. These were seen as giving the state more divine favor, so they were encouraged despite it resulting in one less productive member of the economy or military. The monks also created a separate system to the Church, with each finding a base between the rural/urban split.
Developments in art, architecture, literature are discussed, although these developments were very slow. Of the still existing literature and art, almost all is religious. Lives of saints and martyrs were among the most common writings.
The book isn’t heavy of the historical narrative of coups and wars, focusing more on each aspect of the society and how it changed through time. Learned quite a bit.
Developments in art, architecture, literature are discussed, although these developments were very slow. Of the still existing literature and art, almost all is religious. Lives of saints and martyrs were among the most common writings.
The book isn’t heavy of the historical narrative of coups and wars, focusing more on each aspect of the society and how it changed through time. Learned quite a bit.
July 21, 2022
This book by the highly esteemed historian, Cyril Mango, was published in 1980 so is a bit dated in some respects. Still, it is highly readable and a great overview of the Byzantine civilization.
I enjoyed the first part, Aspects of Byzantine Life, the best. It was in this section that he discussed the massive changes in the empire in the middle period when barbarian invasions were so devastating. The simple listings of towns and cities that were destroyed made that more abundantly clear than anything I've read before.
I found the middle section, The Conceptual World of Byzantium, the least enjoyable but perhaps I wasn't ready for this odd collection of how he believes the Byzantines thought.
The last part, The Legacy, was good, but this is where it sometimes seemed out of date. In the chapter of literature he does not mention the historian, John Skylitzes, but that history may not have been available when the book was written. The chapter on art and architecture said there were no other monumental buildings constructed after the 9th century, but Constantine IX Monomachos did quite a bit of building, including St. George Mangana; there was also Blachernae and the Pantocrator monastery. Also, Nikephoros II Phokas added buildings to the Great Palace in the 10th century. I'll grant that little remains of most of those buildings, but they do seem to have been significant.
Professor Mango was clearly knowledgeable about the Byzantines and his fame likely spurred much of the new research/translations/studies over the last forty years that make this book seem out of date. I would still recommend it to anyone interested in the Byzantines.
I enjoyed the first part, Aspects of Byzantine Life, the best. It was in this section that he discussed the massive changes in the empire in the middle period when barbarian invasions were so devastating. The simple listings of towns and cities that were destroyed made that more abundantly clear than anything I've read before.
I found the middle section, The Conceptual World of Byzantium, the least enjoyable but perhaps I wasn't ready for this odd collection of how he believes the Byzantines thought.
The last part, The Legacy, was good, but this is where it sometimes seemed out of date. In the chapter of literature he does not mention the historian, John Skylitzes, but that history may not have been available when the book was written. The chapter on art and architecture said there were no other monumental buildings constructed after the 9th century, but Constantine IX Monomachos did quite a bit of building, including St. George Mangana; there was also Blachernae and the Pantocrator monastery. Also, Nikephoros II Phokas added buildings to the Great Palace in the 10th century. I'll grant that little remains of most of those buildings, but they do seem to have been significant.
Professor Mango was clearly knowledgeable about the Byzantines and his fame likely spurred much of the new research/translations/studies over the last forty years that make this book seem out of date. I would still recommend it to anyone interested in the Byzantines.
August 29, 2012
Delves further into the Byzantine mindset and beliefs than other books I have read on Byzantium with some very interesting insights. Does it get us any closer to the Byzantine man on the street? Probably not - but it gives us a better idea of what the religious/monastic establishment felt the man on the street should aspire to.
June 17, 2019
Πολύ καλό βιβλίο εισαγωγής στην ιστορία της ανατολικής Ρωμαϊκής αυτοκρατορίας. Παρότι παλαιό, δίνει έναυσμα για επαφή με πρωτότυπες πηγές της βυζαντινής γραμματείας που ρίχνουν περισσότερο φως στην ταυτότητα αυτών των μυστηριωδών "βυζαντινών".
February 25, 2011
Good work and overview on the civilization that was Byzantium.
May 31, 2017
Nicelly written and easy to study.
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December 13, 2014very informative
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 11, 2008
An excellent overview of the empire and the lives of its citizens.
October 4, 2016
Read only : If someone wants to understand how a inhibited can be a historian ....
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews