And as a champion of Byzantium, Herrin finds many things that we should save the civilisation for, no doubt with good cause. Included on Herrin’s list are:
* Joined-up writing, miniscule, a change that might have originated in the imperial chancellery and that occurred as material was transferred from more fragile papyrus to longer-lasting parchment. At the same time chapter headings, marginal notations and punctuation were also introduced.
* Hesychast theology, a form of mystical prayer based on breathing, exercises, and the mass repetition of formulaic phrases, a form of worship that never developed in the West, although which had many parallels in the east.
But as an expert in the subject, she’s also well placed to debunk some of the classic myths about Byzantium. It is disappointing, if not surprising, to learn that Basil II (”the Bulgar-slayer”) not only didn’t carry out many of the massacres attributed to him, but was actually more important for bringing Antioch, large amounts of the Caucasus (previously under Georgian, Armenian and Abkhazian control), the Balkans and southern Italy under Byzantine control. Another strong woman appears, Maria, widow of the Bulgar ruler John Vladislav, who arranged the final peaceful surrender, overseeing the submission of her three sons and six daughters.
