Comments for Lost to the West

Comment on Byzantine Sites Around the World by Melinda

Melinda — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 05:44:21 +0000

cool!

Comment on The Mystery of the Great Palace by lars

lars — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 22:11:50 +0000

Thanks Darryl. I always like to think that if we can find a reason to celebrate something (birthday) on a tragic day (May 29) then it goes a little way toward renewing it.

Comment on A Peek into a Lost City by Lars

Lars — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 22:03:58 +0000

Thanks Michael. I noticed during the same trip while exploring a Byzantine church in Petra that the artist had included pictures of giraffes, hippo’s, lions, and boars in the floor mosaics. At the time I assumed it was just a fanciful motif, but now I wonder if at least some of those animals were still around. My default setting seems to mistrust the accuracy of these things…

Comment on A Peek into a Lost City by Michael Ray

Michael Ray — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 21:38:44 +0000

I had seen the picture of the map before but I had missed the story about the recent discovery. Thanks for sharing it.

I recently read \"Lost to the West\" and loved it. You tell a great story and tell it very well.

Comment on The Mystery of the Great Palace by Darryl

Darryl — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 17:09:45 +0000

I had yesterday completed the audio book of Lost To The West. It was fascinating to learn about this extension of the Roman Empire and Greek culture and how the existing of the empire ensured survival of many arts and sciences of a long ago era.

The audio book is read by the author Lars, who\’s passion shows through in the reading. Additionally his voice is well suited for audio books and I wish he would lend it to others.

Now I know of another event on the day of my birth. The unfortunate end of the Roman empire. Listen or read this work and discover something that you can relate to.

Enjoy!

Comment on The Mystery of the Great Palace by Marina

Marina — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 09:54:37 +0000

Thanks for responding. I’ll definitely check it out once the weather gets better.

By the way, a class that I was TA’ing last semester created a blog on Byzantine monuments in Istanbul, where the students shared their impressions (and photographs) from our field trips in the city. Thought you might find it interesting: http://arha318.wordpress.com/

Cheers,
MK

Comment on The Mystery of the Great Palace by anders

anders — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 15:31:14 +0000

I took that picture when Lars and I were in Istanbul last. It is somewhere around the eastern-most tip of the outer sea walls. Its right next to that highway – we walked along it for some time before we found it. Walking North, its just past this:

http://www.anders.com/1offs/outer-sea-walls.jpg

Comment on The Mystery of the Great Palace by Marina

Marina — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 15:01:09 +0000

Interesting article. The Great Palace, or, rather, its remains in modern-day Istanbul are a great mystery indeed. While the area has been repeatedly built-over, some substructures remain–along with other, more prominent artefacts, such as the Great Palace mosaics you mention. These are now on display in the Mosaic Museum behind the Sultanahmet Mosque. The dating of these mosaics is uncertain (could be Justinian\\\’s reign, as you write in the article, but this is not certain). As for the substructures, I had the chance to visit them on several occasions. They are not open to the public and, since the Great Palace itself was an enormous complex, stretching from the Hippodrome down to the sea, we can\\\’t speak of a single building that can be identified as \\"the\\" Great Palace.
It\\\’s good to see you bringing attention to the issue. Excavations in Istanbul\\\’s historic peninsula, however, are a very tricky question… there are layers upon layers of history, and then there\\\’s the Turkish legislation and the interests of private stakeholders (e.g. the Four Seasons Hotel). From what I heard last year, the Four Seasons is now building an \\"archaeological park\\" to display the artifacts unearthed during the construction of the hotel\\\’s new wing. What exactly these artifacts are remains to be seen. Same for their being accessible to the public, as the hotel\\\’s grounds are, technically, private property.
The remains of the Boukoleon Palace (pictured), which was part of the Great Palace complex, are, too, in a state of decay. Some unfortunate people have made their home among the ruins, and so the palace structures are filled with trash and other products of human activity, while the people living there are wary of visitors and, generally, try to keep them out.
P.S. Did you take this picture while you were in Istanbul? I\\\’m curious as to where exactly this place is. I\\\’d like to go see it.

Comment on Why You’re Wrong About the Crusades by Russ Neglia

Russ Neglia — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 05:18:09 +0000

Just finished reading “Lost to the West.” One of the best books on Byzantine history. Loved the book but was left depressed by the sad truth of what happened to a great empire. Since I’m Sicilian by birth, I have a special place in my heart for Roman History. Thank you Mr. Brownworth. Great work.

Comment on Lost to the West Teaser Video by Mike

Mike — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 20:45:17 +0000

I finished the book this morning and enjoyed the whole thing immensely. The only complaint my father and I can have agreed on is that we both wish it could have been longer.
More to the point, I like this trailer and think it was a job well done to make it. Hopefully it will get some more people to read the book. I know it’s on my Christmas gift list. Hopefully a couple of my friends will also give it a chance.