Lost to the West - Lars Brownworth

Filled with unforgettable
stories of emperors, generals, and religious patriarchs, as well as fascinating glimpses
into the life of the ordinary citizen, Lost to the West reveals how much we owe to
the Byzantine Empire that was the equal of any in its achievements, appetites, and enduring
legacy.

For more than a millennium, Byzantium reigned as the glittering seat of Christian
civilization. When Europe fell into the Dark Ages, Byzantium held fast against Muslim
expansion, keeping Christianity alive. Streams of wealth flowed into Constantinople, making possible unprecedented wonders
of art and architecture. And the
emperors who ruled Byzantium enacted a saga of political intrigue and conquest as
astonishing as anything in recorded history.

Lost to the West is replete with stories
of assassination, mass mutilation and execution, sexual scheming, ruthless grasping
for power, and clashing armies that soaked battlefields with the blood of slain warriors
numbering in the tens of thousands.