A fascinating chronicle about a memorable but grim period of Byzantine history. There is triumph and a tremendous amount of tragedy. The reign of Herakleios is generally triumphant but the mood swings of the iconoclast era can feel very depressing. Also, Theophanes, though regarded as a saint by both the Catholic and Orthodox can sometimes feel like the fanatical Byzantine monk modern historians often refer to. He is obviously of at least a certain level of sophistication to be able to put out a history like this one but his lack of nuance and utter hatred for anyone other than the Orthodox is often hard to bear. He employs a curious Biblical interpretation to condemn a faction of priests who were opposed to government sanction of the execution of heretics. Also hard to read is the seemingly endless string of Roman defeats at the hands of the Bulgars to the west and the Muslims to the east. Sometimes, I wonder how this empire didn't completely crumple. The faithlessness of the soldiers, the treachery of the officers, the avarice of so many of the emperors and the divisiveness of the clergy leaves the reader wondering what held this society together. At least according to Theophanes, it must have been the countless stream of prayers to the Mother of God, who seems to turn the tide just often enough to hold the center. I found his account of Muhammed, "the Saracens ruler and false prophet" highly interesting. The theory of his epilepsy is first found here. The basic facts of the life of Muhammad square fairly well with what is typically accepted though the interpretation of those facts are of an invaluable 9th century Byzantine Christian perspective. To Theophanes, the new religion is nothing more than a heresy with a 100,000 man army behind it. This perspective allows the sympathetic reader to understand why our author was not only willing but advocating putting the weight of the Emperor behind the execution of other potentially hostile and deadly heretics. Overall, for those fully into Byzantine history this is an important read with a lot of historical interest and even suspense. For those just getting into the history of Byzantium, perhaps John Julius Norwich would be a better place to start. Even after a couple of modern general histories, I would recommend reading Michael Psellus or Anna Comnena before delving into Theophanes. ( )

I enjoyed reading this book. It is an example of what was available to the earnest Byzantine hoping to write the history of his state. while Mr. Turtledove has committed a good many pot-boilers to the pile, this is a serious attempt to aid scholarship, and thus worthy of respect. if you have no Greek, and most of us do not, it is a fine addition to your library. The period is that of the most severe challenges to the continued life of the Byzantine state. ( )