Book : Ravenna Capital Of Empire, Crucible Of Europe -...

-Titulo Original : Ravenna Capital Of Empire, Crucible Of Europe

-Fabricante :

Princeton University Press

-Descripcion Original:

Review Winner of the Pol Roger Duff Cooper PrizeWinner of the PROSE Award in European History, Association of American PublishersShortlisted for the Wolfson History Prize, Wolfson FoundationShortlisted for the London Hellenic Prize, The Hellenic CentreLonglisted for the Cundill History Prize, McGill UniversityJudith Herrin explains in her lively, startling book, Ravenna really did deserve ‘the most noble’ title bestowed by this anonymous admirer. From its origins as a refuge in a dying empire, it went on to host kings and prelates, physicians and lawyers and ultimately help shape Europe. The EconomistThe book is absolutely gorgeous, with magnificent colour reproductions of Ravennas churches and mosaics. Relics of an age that seems almost impossibly remote, they are the foundations on which modern Europe stands.---Dominic Sandbrook, Sunday Times[E]minently worth reading. The colour plates are so sumptuous that the Ravenna mosaics fairly glow on the page. History teaches us that it is on the margins that the greatest change often occurs. Ravenna was on such a margin. Now, perhaps for the first time, the city emerges triumphant from the shadow of the so-called Dark Ages.---Ian Thomson, The SpectatorAficionados of early medieval history and of course Ravenna itself will learn much from Herrin’s work. Kirkus ReviewsBeautifully illustrated, impeccably researched and accessibly presented, it traces Ravennas career as the capital of the Roman empire in the west. . . . Buildings are also brought to life alongside the people who built and used them. . . . It is this linking of tangible remains and historical record that is the books great strength.---Jonathan Harris, BBC History MagazineHerrin tells the changing story of Ravenna as it unfolds from the end of the fourth century to the ninth in a series of short, accessible sections with the aid of luscious illustrations.---Averil Cameron, History TodayJudith Herrin’s book [Ravenna] explains by recounting the city’s life from 402, when it became the capital of the Roman Empire in the West, to 751, when the Lombards took over. The story is not, she emphasises, one of decline, but of rebirth, for Ravenna established what European Christendom could become. . . . By the time we can easily visit Ravenna the city again it should be with the advantage of having read Ravenna the book.---Christopher Howse, The Telegraph[Ravenna] is absolutely gorgeous, with magnificent colour reproductions of Ravenna’s churches and mosaics. Relics of an age that seems almost impossibly remote, they are the foundations on which modern Europe stands.---Dominic Sandbrook, The TimesBold. . . . elegantly argue[d]. New YorkerMagnificent. . . recaptures the excitement of discovering the history of a city where East Rome and Latin Europe joined for many centuries in ways that defy our neat divisions between ancient and medieval; Romans, Greeks, and barbarians; East and West.---Peter Brown, New York Review of BooksA sweeping and engrossing history . . . an accessible narrative that brings to life the men and women who created the city during this period and who fashioned its hybrid Christian culture of Latin, Greek and Gothic elements. The narrative is periodically elevated by discussions of the city’s most famous attractions and its glorious churches, brilliantly illustrated in the book’s 62 color plates. It is also enlivened by recurring digressions on daily life in the city at each phase in its history.---Anthony Kaldellis, Wall Street Journal[T]ake [Judith] Herrin’s book slowly. It’s not a skimmer. There’s a lot to absorb. A careful, patient read best reveals the book’s richness.---Brian T. Allen, National ReviewJudith Herrin’s Ravenna sparkles like the city’s world-heritage mosaics . . . [this] sweeping social and cultural history is presented in easily digestible sections and augmented with lavish illustrations.---Michael Champion, Australian Book ReviewA masterwork