This book was more about Leo the Deacon and his partisan iconodule position than about military expansion. But i appreciate the in-depth research of the authors and translators. We often don't get a direct translation of a 1st source like this one. Just by reading the introduction and footnotes one can tell that much painstaking research and even struggle went into creating a verified and coherent picture of Leo's position during this time.
It is interesting that from Leo's view (being a staunch orthodox churchman) that both Leo III and Constantine V were something close to the anti-christ and Irene, who murdered her own son, a saint. Looking at the bigger picture from over a thousand years later we know that both iconoclast emperors created a stronger empire militarially and otherwise that helped bring Byzantium to the pinnacle of its brilliance and power 200 years later. Irene, on the other hand, almost destroyed the empire by appeasing its enemies and almost bringing it to financial ruin.
I thank the authors for providing a rare glimpse into this amazing time...
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Excellent Dumbarton Oaks text
As usual, I am reviewing the edition, not Leo the Deacon as a historian.There is just not much to say about this book. Once again, Dumbarton Oaks has published an excellent Byzantine translation, this time of Leo the Deacon, a historian who recorded the events of the lives of Nikephoros II Phokas, John I Tzimiskes as well as the early reign and civil wars of Basil II Bulgaroktonos. The translation is very good, and the editors do not attempt to make any sort of connection to modern language where it simply cannot be done. They tend to render difficult Byzantine terms in a Greek transliteration, and then explain them in the notes. The notes are excellent, and although they are not exhaustive, they reference a lot of good academic literature and thus provide a better starting point for understanding the text. The appendices include some genealogies and maps. Nothing too special, but they are all directly relevant to understanding the text. It has John Haldon's map of the Battle of Dorostolon, which is of the highest quality and very helpful for understanding that event, which occupies a significant portion of Book VIII. The indices are also pretty standard, but there is an Index Locorum and a nice index of notable Greek words, both of which are useful for understanding Leo the Deacon.The translation is good; the notes are good, as are the appendices and indices. It is inexpensive and easily accessable, something that many Byzantine primary sources cannot claim. There is no reason not to award this book the full five stars.
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Reviewed in the United States on September 22, 2009
Reviewed in the United States on January 17, 2010
As usual, I am reviewing the edition, not Leo the Deacon as a historian.
There is just not much to say about this book. Once again, Dumbarton Oaks has published an excellent Byzantine translation, this time of Leo the Deacon, a historian who recorded the events of the lives of Nikephoros II Phokas, John I Tzimiskes as well as the early reign and civil wars of Basil II Bulgaroktonos. The translation is very good, and the editors do not attempt to make any sort of connection to modern language where it simply cannot be done. They tend to render difficult Byzantine terms in a Greek transliteration, and then explain them in the notes. The notes are excellent, and although they are not exhaustive, they reference a lot of good academic literature and thus provide a better starting point for understanding the text. The appendices include some genealogies and maps. Nothing too special, but they are all directly relevant to understanding the text. It has John Haldon's map of the Battle of Dorostolon, which is of the highest quality and very helpful for understanding that event, which occupies a significant portion of Book VIII. The indices are also pretty standard, but there is an Index Locorum and a nice index of notable Greek words, both of which are useful for understanding Leo the Deacon.
The translation is good; the notes are good, as are the appendices and indices. It is inexpensive and easily accessable, something that many Byzantine primary sources cannot claim. There is no reason not to award this book the full five stars.
There is just not much to say about this book. Once again, Dumbarton Oaks has published an excellent Byzantine translation, this time of Leo the Deacon, a historian who recorded the events of the lives of Nikephoros II Phokas, John I Tzimiskes as well as the early reign and civil wars of Basil II Bulgaroktonos. The translation is very good, and the editors do not attempt to make any sort of connection to modern language where it simply cannot be done. They tend to render difficult Byzantine terms in a Greek transliteration, and then explain them in the notes. The notes are excellent, and although they are not exhaustive, they reference a lot of good academic literature and thus provide a better starting point for understanding the text. The appendices include some genealogies and maps. Nothing too special, but they are all directly relevant to understanding the text. It has John Haldon's map of the Battle of Dorostolon, which is of the highest quality and very helpful for understanding that event, which occupies a significant portion of Book VIII. The indices are also pretty standard, but there is an Index Locorum and a nice index of notable Greek words, both of which are useful for understanding Leo the Deacon.
The translation is good; the notes are good, as are the appendices and indices. It is inexpensive and easily accessable, something that many Byzantine primary sources cannot claim. There is no reason not to award this book the full five stars.
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