A Cabinet of Byzantine Curiosities - read free eBook in online reader or directly download on the web page. Select files or add your book in reader. Download and read online ebook A Cabinet of Byzantine Curiosities write by Anthony Kaldellis. This book was released on 2017. A Cabinet of Byzantine Curiosities available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. A Cabinet of Byzantine Curiosities will reinforce these old prejudices, while also stimulating a deeper interest among readers in one of history's most interesting civilizations. Many of the zanier tales and trivia that are collected here revolve around the political and religious life of Byzantium.
A Cabinet of Byzantine Curiosities
A Cabinet of Byzantine Curiosities - read free eBook in online reader or directly download on the web page. Select files or add your book in reader. Download and read online ebook A Cabinet of Byzantine Curiosities write by Anthony Kaldellis. This book was released on 2017-09-01. A Cabinet of Byzantine Curiosities available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Weird, decadent, degenerate, racially mixed, superstitious, theocratic, effeminate, and even hyper-literate, Byzantium has long been regarded by many as one big curiosity. According to Voltaire, it represented "a worthless collection of miracles, a disgrace for the human mind"; for Hegel, it was "a disgusting picture of imbecility." A Cabinet of Byzantine Curiosities will churn up these old prejudices, while also stimulating a deeper interest among readers in one of history's most interesting civilizations. Many of the zanier tales and trivia that are collected here revolve around the political and religious life of Byzantium. Thus, stories of saints, relics, and their miracles-from the hilarious to the revolting-abound. Byzantine bureaucracy (whence the adjective "Byzantine"), court scandals, and elaborate penal code are world famous. And what would Byzantium be without its eunuchs, whose ambiguous gender produced odd and risible outcomes in different contexts? The book also contains sections on daily life that are equally eye-opening, including food (from aphrodisiacs to fermented fish sauce), games such as polo and acrobatics, and obnoxious views of foreigners and others (e.g., Germans, Catholics, Arabs, dwarves). But lest we overlook Byzantium's more honorable contributions to civilization, also included are some of the marvels of Byzantine science and technology, from the military (flamethrowers and hand grenades) to the theatrical ("elevator" thrones, roaring mechanical lions) and medical (catheters and cures, some bizarre). This vast assortment of historical anomaly and absurdity sheds vital light on one of history's most obscure and orthodox empires.
A Cabinet of Roman Curiosities
A Cabinet of Roman Curiosities - read free eBook in online reader or directly download on the web page. Select files or add your book in reader. Download and read online ebook A Cabinet of Roman Curiosities write by J. C. McKeown. This book was released on 2010-06-01. A Cabinet of Roman Curiosities available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Here is a whimsical and captivating collection of odd facts, strange beliefs, outlandish opinions, and other highly amusing trivia of the ancient Romans. We tend to think of the Romans as a pragmatic people with a ruthlessly efficient army, an exemplary legal system, and a precise and elegant language. A Cabinet of Roman Curiosities shows that the Romans were equally capable of bizarre superstitions, logic-defying customs, and often hilariously derisive views of their fellow Romans and non-Romans. Classicist J. C. McKeown has organized the entries in this entertaining volume around major themes--The Army, Women, Religion and Superstition, Family Life, Medicine, Slaves, Spectacles--allowing for quick browsing or more deliberate consumption. Among the book's many gems are: BL Romans on urban living: The satirist Juvenal lists "fires, falling buildings, and poets reciting in August as hazards to life in Rome." BL On enhanced interrogation: "If we are obliged to take evidence from an arena-fighter or some other such person, his testimony is not to be believed unless given under torture." (Justinian) BL On dreams: Dreaming of eating books "foretells advantage to teachers, lecturers, and anyone who earns his livelihood from books, but for everyone else it means sudden death" BL On food: "When people unwittingly eat human flesh, served by unscrupulous restaurant owners and other such people, the similarity to pork is often noted." (Galen) BL On marriage: In ancient Rome a marriage could be arranged even when the parties were absent, so long as they knew of the arrangement, "or agreed to it subsequently." BL On health care: Pliny caustically described medical bills as a "down payment on death," and Martial quipped that "Diaulus used to be a doctor, now he's a mortician. He does as a mortician what he did as a doctor." For anyone seeking an inglorious glimpse at the underside of the greatest empire in history, A Cabinet of Roman Curiosities offers endless delights.
A Cabinet of Greek Curiosities
A Cabinet of Greek Curiosities - read free eBook in online reader or directly download on the web page. Select files or add your book in reader. Download and read online ebook A Cabinet of Greek Curiosities write by J. C. McKeown. This book was released on 2013. A Cabinet of Greek Curiosities available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. A miscellany of odd stories and facts about the ancient Greeks, demonstrating how much they were--and were not--like us.
Daily Life in the Byzantine Empire
Daily Life in the Byzantine Empire - read free eBook in online reader or directly download on the web page. Select files or add your book in reader. Download and read online ebook Daily Life in the Byzantine Empire write by Marcus Rautman. This book was released on 2006-03-30. Daily Life in the Byzantine Empire available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Life in the Byzantine Empire comes alive in this extraordinary, insightful study ideal for high school students, undergraduates, and general readers interested in answering questions about every day details that truly shaped Byzantine life.
