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A Cabinet of Byzantine Curiosities : Strange Tales and Surprising Facts From History's Most Orthodox Empire by Kaldellis, Anthony is a history book available to read on EtoBox.

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"Weird, decadent, degenerate, racially mixed, superstitious, theocratic, effeminate, and even hyper-literate, Byzantium has long been regarded by many as one big curiosity. According to Voltaire, it represented "a worthless collection of miracles, a disgrace for the human mind"; for Hegel, it was "a disgusting picture of imbecility." A Cabinet of Byzantine Curiosities will churn up these old prejudices, while also stimulating a deeper interest among readers in one of history's most interesting civilizations. Many of the zanier tales and trivia that are collected here revolve around the political and religious life of Byzantium. Thus, stories of saints, relics, and their miracles-from the hilarious to the revolting-abound. Byzantine bureaucracy (whence the adjective "Byzantine"), court scandals, and elaborate penal code are world famous. And what would Byzantium be without its eunuchs, whose ambiguous gender produced odd and risible outcomes in different contexts? The book also contains sections on daily life that are equally eye-opening, including food (from aphrodisiacs to fermented fish sauce), games such as polo and acrobatics, and obnoxious views of foreigners and others (e.g.,

Who reads A Cabinet of Byzantine Curiosities : Strange Tales and Surprising Facts From History's Most Orthodox Empire?

Author

Kaldellis, Anthony

Publisher

Oxford University Press, Incorporated

Published

2017

Language

EN

ISBN

9780190625962

Category

history

Subjects

Anthropology, Fiction, Political Science

Rating

4.29 / 5 (7 ratings)

Updated

2026-03-14