Colin Wells (2) (1960–)

This book traced the influence of the Byzantium’s influence on the cultures of western Europe, the Islamic World, and the Slavs in eastern Europe. Fortunately for my sanity, the book was divided into three different sections, but all the events happened during the same timeframe. I found it very intriguing and gained a new perspective on western European history in particular. The book did describe the Byzantine influence on art and architecture, particularly in Italy, and was crying out for pictures, but unfortunately none were included. I'd advise reading this with Google images on hand. I would also recommend reading this in conjunction with [b:Ad Infinitum: A Biography of Latin|268210|Ad Infinitum A Biography of Latin|Nicholas Ostler|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1312039919s/268210.jpg|260015], which gives an overview of the linguistic divide between Byzantium and Rome and also describes the attitude the Roman Catholic church had toward classical pagan knowledge, which contrasts sharply with that of the Byzantine Eastern Orthodox monks.… (mer)

This book traced the influence of the Byzantium’s influence on the cultures of western Europe, the Islamic World, and the Slavs in eastern Europe. Fortunately for my sanity, the book was divided into three different sections, but all the events happened during the same timeframe. I found it very intriguing and gained a new perspective on western European history in particular. The book did describe the Byzantine influence on art and architecture, particularly in Italy, and was crying out for pictures, but unfortunately none were included. I'd advise reading this with Google images on hand. I would also recommend reading this in conjunction with [b:Ad Infinitum: A Biography of Latin|268210|Ad Infinitum A Biography of Latin|Nicholas Ostler|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1312039919s/268210.jpg|260015], which gives an overview of the linguistic divide between Byzantium and Rome and also describes the attitude the Roman Catholic church had toward classical pagan knowledge, which contrasts sharply with that of the Byzantine Eastern Orthodox monks.… (mer)

This is one of those tricky books that I want to like more than I do. It's hard to pitch a history like this exactly right. There were parts where I felt the author was going into more detail than I wanted, since I picked the book based on prior interest. In other places, I wanted him to connect the dots more. So, how does this relate to what I already know? Why do I feel like there is a big hole here? I know there's something missing but I can't quite remember what? So, in some ways it is overspecialized and in other ways underspecialized.… (mer)