Lars Brownworth knows Constantine was hailed as emperor in 306.
This fact is mentioned on page 12.
He knows Constantine defeated one of his rivals (Maxentius) in 312.
This fact is mentioned on pages 13-14.
He knows Constantine defeated his last rival (Licinius) in 324.
This fact is mentioned on page 16.
He knows Constantine moved the capital of the empire from Rome to Byzantium in 330.
This fact is mentioned on page 22.
He knows Constantine died in 337.
This fact is mentioned on page 25.
But when we get to the chronology of Byzantine emperors, which begins on page 309, it seems he has forgotten all these facts.
The first two entries read like this:
* Constantine the Great … 324-353
* Constantius (son of Constantine the Great) … 353-361
Both dates for Constantine are wrong. He was emperor from 306 (not 324) and he died in 337 (not 353). He was the first Byzantine emperor from 330 (not 324).
His son, who is usually known as Constantius II, ruled from 337 (not from 353).
He died in 361. This means the last date is correct. But three of four significant dates are wrong.
Lost to the West is not a good book. In fact, it is rather bad. How can an author – and how can a publisher - expect us to take them seriously, when they can do something like this? I think it is very disturbing to see the chronology at the end of the book contradicting the main text.
Sometimes the text is not quite accurate.
Here are some examples:
# 1. Chapter 8 is about the Nika revolt of 532 during the reign of Justinian the Great (527-565). Brownworth claims it was suppressed by a large number of soldiers, including a large group of “Scandinavian mercenaries” who had recently arrived (page 80).
Vikings from Sweden travelled south and east along the rivers of Russia. Eventually they arrived in Constantinople, where some of them were hired as bodyguards for the Byzantine emperor. This happened in 988.
In other words: Brownworth places the Scandinavian Vikings in Constantinople almost 500 years before they actually arrived there!
# 2. On page 90 Brownworth mentions “the silver menorah that Titus had seized in Jerusalem in AD 71.”
Titus celebrated his triumph in Rome in 71. The conquest of Jerusalem took in the year before, 70. According to the Jewish historian Titus Flavius Josephus, the menorah was made of gold.
[The Jewish War, book VII, chapter 148-149]
# 3. Chapter 22 is about the Fourth Crusade and the sack of Constantinople in 1204. Brownworth explains that the Venetians not only destroyed but also collected some treasures. A note on page 258 gives this example:
“One Venetian in particular climbed on the carceres – the monumental gate to the hippodrome – and removed four life-size bronze horses.”
The four horses are made of copper (not bronze), and they are slightly larger than life-size. They were (probably) placed on top of the monumental arch (Porta Pompae) which was flanked by the starting boxes (Carceres), six on either side.
Brownworth seems to confuse the monumental arch with the starting boxes. To lower four horses from the arch must have been a difficult and delicate task demanding several persons and some technical equipment. They were not removed by “one Venetian,”
[For more information about this topic, see The Horses of St. Mark’s by Charles Freeman.]
What about illustrations?
There are not many in this book.
There is a map of Constantinople (today known as Istanbul). This map is printed two times: inside the front cover and inside the back cover (known as endpapers).
Why is this map printed two times? Does the publisher think we will accidentally lose one of them?
In addition, there are six more maps in the book. This is fine. I do not want to complain about the maps. But there are no pictures. Not a single picture to illustrate the long and interesting history of the Byzantine Empire.
Why not?
The only picture they give us is a picture of the author, which is on the jacket of the book. The brief biography tells us that Lars Brownworth is a former teacher of history.
As a former teacher of history, he should know the value of illustrations in a book, but it seems he never learned this lesson.
There could (and should) be many pictures in a book like this. Here are a few examples of what he could and should have done:
** On page 13 he mentions the basilica built by Maxentius in the Forum Romanum (306-312). A note offers this information:
“It is still there, although today it is known as Constantine’s Basilica…”
Some people call it Constantine’s Basilica, but most people call it Maxentius’ Basilica. It is still there, but there is no picture in the book.
Maxentius' Basilica in Rome
** On pages 13-14 he mentions the Milvian Bridge across the river Tiber in the northern part of Rome where Maxentius was defeated in 312.
The bridge is still there, but there is no picture in the book.
The Milvian Bridge (Ponte Milvio) in Rome
** On page 22-23 he mentions the hippodrome in Constantinople where the Nika revolt of 532 began.
If you visit Istanbul, you can still see the remains of the hippodrome, but there is no picture in the book.
This modern drawing shows the hippodrome
in the centre of Constantinople
Sultanahmet Square in Istanbul
The remains of the ancient hippodrome
** On page 287 he mentions the Greek village of Mistra, not far from the famous town of Sparta. A note offers this information:
“Today a double eagle carved into the floor of the cathedral of Agios Dimitrios in Mistra marks the place where the last Byzantine emperor was officially confirmed.”
There is a modern carving with a double eagle in the floor of the church, but there is no picture in the book.
A double eagle is carved into the floor of the
cathedral of Agios Dimitrios in Mistra
If you go to the index and look for some of these places, you will find that Mistra and Sparta are not even listed, although they both appear in the text. So, on top of everything else, the index is incomplete.
One final point:
What about the title and subtitle of the book?
The subtitle claims the Byzantine Empire is “forgotten.”
Is this really true?
If you search Amazon for books about this empire, you will get more than 2,400 results.
Conclusion: the subtitle of the book is not true.
I feel sorry for Lars Brownworth. Clearly, he put a lot of effort into this book. Sadly, he did not succeed.
*****
Lost to the West:
The Forgotten Byzantine Empire That
Rescued Western Civilization
By Lars Brownworth
(Hardcover 2009)
(Paperback 2010)
329 pages
*****
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