"Byzantium: The Surprising Life of Medieval Empire" Book Review by Nicky

This paper provides a review of Judith Herrin's book "Byzantium: The Surprising Life of Medieval Empire." The paper notes that this book provides an overview of the history of the great empire and its greatest city. The writer explains that Herrin's central thesis is that far from the footnote to history, to which it is often reduced, Byzantium civilization played the critical role in preventing the Islamic empire to spread through all of Europe, and thus played a vital part in making the Western World what it is today, for better or for worse.The reviewer concludes that Herrin's main accomplishment is that she tells a great story and manages to make a defense for Byzantium without seeming anti-Turkish or anti-Islam, a notable achievement the contemporary era which is, equally fraught with religious controversies as Byzantium itself.