Lost to the West

“Captivating…In Lost to the West Lars Brownworth shows a novelist’s eye for character, bringing to life some of the most fascinating — and yet little known -- figures of the Byzantine era. But it is as a researcher into the obscurities of palace intrigue, treachery, and battlefield carnage that Lars really shines. With dry humor and a palette of vivid images, he recounts the dizzying game of musical chairs that placed one usurper after another on the Byzantine throne, only to be pitched off in a gaudily macabre way. In the end, one is left agog by the irony that the upshot of this centuries-long scrum was the preservation of nearly all that the Greeks have bequeathed to us.”
—Steven Pressfield, author of Gates of Fire

“Rome never fell -- it simply moved five hundred miles East -- to Byzantium. For over a thousand years the Byzantines commanded one of the most visceral and vivid empires the world has ever known. And yet their achievements are consistently underplayed; written out of history. Lars Brownworth is a rare talent. His contagious passion brings murderous empresses, conniving eunuchs, lost Greek texts and Byzantine treasures of fairy-tale proportions blinking back into the light. Confidently striding through time and across the mountains and plains of the Eastern Mediterranean, Brownworth puts this theocratic superstate slap-bang in the center of mankind's global story; back where it should be. The Byzantines made our world what it is today. Lars Brownworth matches their verve and brio in his seductive and gripping account.”
—Bettany Hughes, PBS host and author of Helen of Troy

“This is history as it used to be, history as story-telling. In this fascinating account of the Byzantine empire, Lars Brownworth covers a thousand years of blood-letting, outrageous luxury, bitter religious disputes and vaulting ambition without giving the slightest impression of being rushed or crowded. The page turns unaided.”
—Anthony Everitt, bestselling author of Augustus, Cicero and The First Emperor

"A hugely entertaining and often moving portrait of a civilization to which the modern West owes an immense but neglected debt. Read it, and you will never use the word 'Byzantine' as a term of abuse again."
—Thomas Holland, author of Millennium, Persian Fire and Rubicon

“Lost to the West is the sort of history I wish I’d been offered in school — a fast-paced adventure story that covers over a thousand years of political intrigue, brilliant leaders, incompetent squabblers, mayhem, butchery and religious divides, and vividly pictures a bygone era that is still a vital part of our heritage.”
—Mark Pendergrast, author of Uncommon Grounds

"The Byzantines are back! Correcting centuries of neglect, Lars Brownworth guides us through a forgotten world and, with clarity and wit, brings it to vibrant life. Filled with a dazzling cast of ruthless Emperors, conniving generals and half-crazed scholars, Lost to the West is both entertaining and enlightening -- a great piece of popular history."
—Tony Perrottet, author of Pagan Holiday and The Naked Olympics<

Share your thoughts on the Lost to the West ebook with other internet viewers!

Title of ebook: Lost to the West
ISBN: 9780307462411
parent-ISBN: 9780307407955
Publisher: Crown Publishing Group
Published: 09-2009
Released online for download: 09-15-2009
Author of eBook: Brownworth, Lars

Format

Encrypted

Sku

ISBN

File size

Security

Printing

Copying

Read aloud

Devices

ePub

Yes

0307462412

9780307462411

2687 KB

n/a

Not allowed

No

Sys Requirments

Download reader

Mobipocket

Yes

9780307462411

730 KB

n/a

Not allowed

No

Sys Requirements

Download reader

eReader

Yes

7770820251

9780307462411

621 KB

n/a

Not allowed

No

Sys Requirments

Download reader

Lost to the West

The Forgotten Byzantine Empire That Rescued Western Civilization
1
Diocletian's Revolution
The long-suffering people of the third-century Roman Empire had the distinct misfortune to live in interesting times. For three centuries before Constantine's birth, Roman architects, engineers, and soldiers had crisscrossed the known world, bringing order and stability to the barbaric, diverse lands beyond the frontiers of Italy. In the wake of the mighty Pax Romana came more than fifty-thousand miles of arrow-straight, graded roads and towering aqueducts, impervious alike to the mountains and valleys that they spanned. These highways were the great secret of empire, providing access to markets, ease of travel, and an imperial mail system that could cover more than five hundred miles in a single day. Graceful cities sprang up along the major routes, complete with amphitheaters, public baths, and even indoor plumbing--a visible testament to the triumph of civilization. But by the third century, time had ravaged the empire's glory, and revolts had stained its streets with blood. Those impressive Roman roads that had so effectively exported the e ... read full excerpt from: Lost to the West ebook

Top eBooks in "Ancient"

Ancient Greek Laws

by Arnaoutoglou, Ilias

Ilias Arnaoutoglou explores the significance of legislation in ancient Greece, the differences and similarities between ancient Greek legislation and legislators and their ...more

Best price: $29.72

Athens, Attica and the Megarid

by Goette, Hans Rupprecht

This exciting new guide is the ideal companion to Greece if you are a traveler with historical and archaeological interests, as it combines practical information with ...more

Best price: $42.74

Ancient Greek Democracy: Readings and Sources

This book invites readers to join in a fresh and extensive investigation of one of Ancient Greece’s greatest inventions: democratic government.

Provides ...more

Best price: $108.95

Beyond the Edge of the Sea

by Obregon, Mauricio

While the story of Jason and the Argonauts and Homer's tales of Ulysses' wanderings are among the greatest of the ancient epics, they are not merely fiction. Following the ...more

Best price: $14.17

A New History of Classical Rhetoric

by Kennedy, George A.

A New History of Classical Rhetoric...more

Best price: $17.51

Alexander

by ROGERS, GUY MACLEAN

For nearly two and a half millennia, Alexander the Great has loomed over history as a legend—and an enigma. Wounded repeatedly but always triumphant in ...more

Best price: $14.00

Ancient Rhetoric and Oratory

by Habinek, Thomas N.

This book introduces readers to the ancient rhetorical tradition by investigating key questions about the origins, nature and importance of rhetoric.

explores ...more

Best price: $67.95

A Greek Army on the March

by Lee, John W. I.

Professor Lee provides a social and cultural history of the Cyreans, the mercenaries of Xenophon's Anabasis. While they have often been portrayed as a single abstract ...more

Best price: $79.00

Ancient Near Eastern Hell: Visions, Tours and Descriptions of the Infern

A collection of Ancient Near eastern texts on hell, in english translation, including selections from the epic of Gilgamesh, the Descent of Inanna to the Netherworld, Baal and...more

Best price: $6.11

Other History eBooks Categories

History General (2073)

History General (83)

Africa (78)

Ancient (395)

Asia (288)

Europe (1024)

Middle East (237)

Military (1048)

Native American (39)

United States (1375)

World (539)