One thing I love about collecting coins is that when I get a coin from a place I’ve never heard of or a time period I don’t know much about it makes me curious about that time/place and I end up wanting to learning more and more. Collecting actually helps me and encourages me to learn more. I just like to know what was going on with the people when they were using this coin. Like when I think of an Athenian owl Tetradrachm I think of a rising Greece fresh (relatively speaking) from defeating the Persian Empire. I think: “Wow this coin may have been held by Pericles!” Or when I think of a Roman denarius of Augustus I think of a coin that was circulating when the Roman Empire was at it’s peak. I think: “Wow this coin could have been held by a Roman legionary, a member of the Praetorian guard, a famous historian like Livy or Suetonius, who knows?” Sorry for the long rant, but anyway, as a lot of you know I picked up a Byzantine solidus of Justinian recently and I’ve been looking for books or articles online about the Emperors of the Byzantine Empire. Most of the reading I’ve done on Rome has been during the times from its founding under Romulus to its fall in 476 AD. Suetonius wrote “The Lives of the Twelve Caesars” detailing the lives and accomplishments (and mistakes) of the first 12 Emperors of Rome but is there anything similar for the first 12 Emperors of the Byzantine Empire beginning with Constantine? If anyone knows of any good books on Byzantine Emperors please post here or PM me if you’d prefer. Thanks!
Well, when it comes to Justinian you can actually read books from somebody that knew and worked for him. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Procopius All of his 3 main books (History of the Wars, Buildings, Secret History) are easily available in affordable English translations. Secret History is probably the easiest read, and a quite interesting/controversial one... I read it recently and I still do not know what to make of it.... One thing is certain, Justinian must have done something to properly piss off Procopius big time. I am currently reading the Alexiad by Anna Komnena. It is a biography of Alexios Komnenos written by his daughter. Very nice read, and also one of the most famous first-hand accounts of the first crusade.
Thanks I’ll check that out! Actually it’s not just Justinian I want to learn about. I kind of fell in love with the design of the solidus I got and I’ve decided to pick up some more eventually. Many are out of my price range but a lot of them are under $1,000 in AU condition which to me is awesome especially considering how old they are and that they are gold. Much cheaper than the older and larger Roman aureus that unfortunately I will never be able to afford in decent condition. I’ve got my eye on Honorius, Justinian II, Maurice Tiberius and a few others.
Some good suggestions by @Only a Poor Old Man for primary texts. If you're also interested in modern historians' take, I recommend the work of John Julius Norwich. He wrote a 3 volume series, Byzantium, which goes into great detail but is a bit expensive. He also made a 1-volume abridgement, A Shorter History of Byzantium, which is a lot cheaper; it might be worth reading that first, and if you still want more then seeking out the full 3 volumes.
I too recommend A Short History of Byzantium, by John Julius Norwich. It's well written and a great starter book. Cal
Here is a great podcast: https://thehistoryofbyzantium.com/ I have these two books on Byzantium that are pretty good too: History of the Byzantine Empire, Volumes I and II by A.A. Vasilev.
If it helps, go to the Fordham U. website, and navigate to the Byzantine and Medieval Studies Sites Links Index. There is another method: be accepted to a Catholic Seminary, complete the studies and be ordained as a Catholic Priest. Then study and receive a Doctorate in Library Science. Then apply to the Holy See to be assigned as a Librarian in the Vat. A world of 6,000 original codices, Books, Manuscripts and Papal Diaries, including before Justinian, will be at your command, dating as far back as 537. I know. This method may involve some extra time, though, so check your schedule. Good stuff.
I just started reading this one, Lost to the West: The Forgotten Byzantine Empire That Rescued Western Civilization by Lars Brownworth (goodreads.com) I can't say much about it yet other than it seems well written, and very interesting.
