Imagine that you are in the Hippodrome in Constantinople, the Circus Maximus of the East. It is the era of Justinian, and this takes place right before the Nika Riots. You are among the great crowds watching a chariot race. The sun is bearing down on the crowd. You can smell the sweat and stink of the crowd. The race is in it concluding moments. It is close between the factions of the circus, the Blues and the Greens. The horses are racing around and around in the Hippodrome, their riders desperately trying to hold on the reins. The crowd screams as a chariot crash into a wall. Those screams turn into cheers as one of the charioteers manages to finish the race, victoriously. You, a mere spectator jumps up and begins your own cheer as it mixes in with the cacophony of voices that echo throughout Constantinople. This is just one part of the great story of what makes up the Byzantine Empire.
Why do we like Byzantine History? It’s a serious question. What attracts us to it and makes us want to be able to walk in the footsteps of great men and women like Anna Kommene, Justinian and Belisarius? I think it is something that demands a greater inspection. When I think about the Byzantines, I generally think of the Hagia Sophia, Basil II, Justinian and other important figures throughout the ages of the empire. What attracts me to these figures and places in history? Honestly, it’s a question that has been dogging me for some time now and I want to understand the attraction of Byzantium to the American mind as well as the European who studies or reads about it. While we are all interested in the history of something or someplace, the Byzantines are something special, something unique. There is an attractive quality to the history of Byzantium that makes it so that we are interested in it. That is what I hope to reveal in this little essay of mine.
The Roman Empire overshadows Western Civilization today. It is one of the greatest polities of all time and represents an apex in human achievement in classical antiquity. It has left a legacy that inspires so many people today. Look at the crowds that surround places like the Colosseum. All those people standing on the foundations of the great building, taking selfies or what other types of pictures they like taking. They are taking in the atmosphere. They are thinking about what it must have been like for the people in the arena to combat each other to a roaring crowd. I also think about all the Roman soldier reenactors out there. They must really enjoy putting on the armor and helmets, swinging that sword with glee. There is also the Neo-Classical architecture that saw architects from several generations ago plot the designs of buildings to be based on the beauty of classical architecture of that glorious age. The world of Classical Antiquity has loomed over our heads and made us think about what it means to be a member of the West. I think that is one of the reasons that people are interested in Byzantium in particular, it’s a way in order to understand Western Civilization and one’s place in it.
People have devoted their lives towards studying this great civilization. I myself have an affinity for the civilization for a multitude of reasons. One of those reasons is the ability to put myself into the feet of people of the past; I try to think about what it meant to live in the empire. This is one of the reasons I find archaeology so interesting. It’s a way to connect with the past. The story of one person’s day in the Roman Empire is intriguing, especially when it deals with someone of the lower classes. That’s one of the reasons that I spend a lot of time trying to learn as much about the Roman Empire as possible. It’s articles like these that really get me interested in history. The Varangian Guard is one of those awesome stories that only seem like they can happen in a movie; but it was real part of history. I just think about the extraordinary men who came from the north of the Byzantine Empire to seek out their fortunes. It must have been quite a journey and a story to tell. I think that is one of the reasons that people are so attracted to the history of the Byzantine Empire. It has a great narrative of change and continuity that makes people get attracted to it.
The Roman Empire overshadows Western Civilization, and yet why are we attracted to the Byzantines? As stated earlier, it’s that sense of change and continuity that makes people want to learn more about this remarkable civilization. The Roman Empire was pagan and transitioned into a Christian state. I find that to be an interesting story. How does a culture change over time and what remains the same? How did the Christian ethos change the way that Romans looked at themselves? How did it affect the way they conducted warfare? These are all interesting questions that I find very interesting to think about. The Pagan nature of the Roman Empire has always been something that intrigued readers and history buffs alike. It is different enough that people don’t feel a need to relate to it. However, when Christianity is added to the mix, this adds a whole another level of complexity. The Roman Empire becomes relatable in way that it was not previously. I think that this is one of the reasons that people are interested in Byzantium. Christianity helps to bridge the gap between us and them. Even if one is not particularly very religious, the idea that transition from a pagan state into a Christian one is an incredible story to behold and try to understand.
The Roman Empire is depicted as this war-like state that appeals to the latent masculinity of so many history buffs. They want something that is masculine and appeals to baser instincts. The Byzantine Empire, especially in the earlier stages of its history, retains this conquering attitude even through it is being governed by a Christian outlook. This combination of the good old Roman militarism and the Christian world view is a potent mixture, making people confused and also interested in how this state came to be. The trappings of Imperial power, as embodied in the Roman Emperor mixed in with the symbolism of Christ is such a contradictory image. Christ said to separate the political and religious. However, here we see how Christ has been repurposed. The emperor is a representative of god on Earth, and this is a change from the old Roman view that designated emperors as living gods. We, as Americans, are intrigued by the fact that the Romans still managed to retain characteristics of their earlier civilization and combined it with the religious beliefs that we are familiar with. That story of change and how states retain their character even through this change is what is attractive to the history buff and anyone that is interested in history.
There is also something quite potent about Byzantium. It is hard to describe about it. But there is this theory of Orientalism, a way of otherizing the long gone past. The Byzantines are unique in this regard. Unlike the Ancient Greeks or the Pagan Romans who came before, there is something about the Byzantines that is remarkable about them. There is the texture of decadence mixed in with Christianity. For Americans who are stepped in Christian philosophy and theology, Byzantium is a strange beast. It comes after the fall of Rome and represents the other Rome that managed to survive. It was an empire that was governed by a Christian outlook, and was also wrapped up in the Game of Thrones-esque politics of the age. Such a combination is an incredibly attractive idea to Americans who are used to the depictions of the Romans as an austere, pagan people.
The popularity of Game of Thrones has something to do it with it. There is something about the politics of Byzantium that makes people want to learn about all the important emperors and the politicians of the time. It is this combination with Christianity and the legacy of Rome that makes people interested in the Byzantine Empire. There is attraction to Christian ethics being propelled by an autocratic spirit. It seems so strange and foreign to American eyes, who are used to a system of government where church and state are considered to be seperate entities. Byzantium is that strange, mysterious realm that is safely inhabiting the frame of history. We can experience our greatest fantasies about living in a state that is run by Emperors and also being pious Christians.
But beyond the psychology of why people like Byzantium so much. I think that it’s just interesting history that’s been obscure for so long. We enjoy Byzantium because its obscurity means we get to dive right into the narratives of history without the accompanying crowds that fill places like the Colosseum in Rome or the Parthenon in Athens. The Byzantine history is a hidden history in some ways; we enjoy it because not so many people know about it. By reading about it, we become members of an arcane and secret society of scholars who know something about such an important civilization that contributed so much to the canon of history.
In all honesty, it’s that idea that we are members of a secret society that is probably the strongest case for why we like Byzantium so much. The Byzantine Empire is an obscure historical topic, one that has only been getting more attention in the recent years thanks to scholars like Anthony Kaldellis. I consider this to be the main reason why people enjoy Byzantine history. It is a hidden history that we can enjoy and feel privileged to have access to it.
TheByzantineBooks 
Another anti Greek-Byzantine bigotrous article!!! You are falsifying hitory itself by calling the predominantly Greek Byzantium “Roman”. And the worse part of it is that you do it because you serve a specific agenda!
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I just read it, very interesting! I think though that what makes Byzantine history so interesting other than its connection to Ancient Rome was the fact that it survived for over 1,100 years and during the Middle Ages it was such an advanced society. Even today and in modern history, Byzantine history and its stories still remain relevant especially in terms of politics and diplomacy. For instance the idea of a cold war which many would think is a modern thing had also existed in the Byzantine era such as when they were competing against the Western world. However, Byzantine history is still not as mainstream as let’s say Greek, Roman, or Western medieval history as a lot of interviews I did with other Byzantine history creators said it is because Byzantium lacks representation in movies or series. On the other hand, others also view Byzantium as something only for scholars and historians, now the challenge is to make it more mainstream and in order to do this, Byzantium needs more merch in the market such as Byzantine related games, not just books and scholarly research papers, and stuff and soon enough I am creating a Byzantine themed board game.
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Who is your favorite emperor?
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