The Age of Faith: Byzantine Civilization
September 27, 2005
I'm catching up entries from a couple of chapters now read. In Chapter Six, “Byzantine Civilization”, Will Durant covers Byzantine culture from 326-565. We hear of the philosopher Hypatia and her brutal death and are introduced to the historian Procopius. Durant cites Procopius throughout the early chapters of The Age of Faith, but he is careful to indicate the bias Procopius seems to have brought to his subject. St. Sophia is described as Justinian's “supreme achievement, more lasting than his conquests or his laws,” and in art, “the mood of the age preferred color to line.”
The Age of Faith: Justinian
September 11, 2005
I just finished chapter 5 of Will Durant's The Age of Faith. Justinian was, in Durant's opinion, the last of the Roman emporers. While his actions were often less than exemplary, his Code was a significant attempt to bring clarity to justice in the early part of the middle ages.
It was interesting to read how much Theodora, Justinian's wife, had an effect on the affairs of his empire. Hers was an interesting history that I may have to research more in the future.
Now I'm on to Chapter 6: Byzantine Civilization
