The Lost World of Byzantium

Emerging from the wreckage of the great Roman Empire, Byzantium has been the scene of constant invasions, sieges, and wars throughout its more than thousand-year history. The border between East and West, the symbol of the Christian world, Constantinople beckoned invaders with its wealth and splendor. How did the Byzantine Empire, which once belonged to half the world, despite all the turmoil, lasted remarkably long and why finally disappeared almost without a trace, as if dissolved? The ancient power was saved by neither powerful army, nor the skill of its politicians, nor the impregnable walls of Constantinople, nor the belief that God will not abandon the first Christian empire on earth, which spread a new religion, not only in its vast territory, but also in neighboring states. British historian Jonathan Harris discusses how Byzantium was born, ruled the world and died, as well as what legacy it left to the modern world.