First of all I am not against John Romer he has done some very good documentaries in his approachable style to the lay viewer but in this documentary series only on this ignored era he simply mixes his emotions over the events rather then giving us the rational historicity of Byzantium making this documentary in my view soft Propaganda and the long history of a complicated empire done to much in a simple overview.
He starts of why Byzantium became Constantinople in 5 minutes as well as in one episode eulogising the late Roman Emperors Constantine the Great and Justinian without going in to explanation the deeper political paradigm of their complicated and separate times. To prove my point he says how wonderful Justinian and Theodora were whilst ignoring the historical events of the Nika riots, the unpopular taxes and his general unpopularity nor going in to Theodora's origins as a prostitute or her ruthless encouragement in putting down the Nika riots.
Another rigid approach he has is explaining the culture of Byzantium just through iconoclasm and the conversion of Russia and not going in to further divisions of the eastern Churches in Byzantium and its separation from Rome nor its art and architecture only mentioning Hagia Sophia and wrapping it in sheer elaboration or the evolution of its own identity with this split. Further he attributes the end of Byzantium to the Venetians and the Ottoman conquest with out explaining to much why the Empire was reduced and fell over time which also arose out of internal political rivalries and civil wars the Ottoman conquest was just by sheer fate sometime coming though he is fair to the Ottoman conquest of Byzantium. To him 1453 is the end well no Russia becomes the imperial successor to Byzantium it changes its geography just as its Roman predecessor and a separate episode of the impact it had in making of Tsarist Russia until the 20 century would of also explained its legacy. In short elaborate and shallow not formal and objective if you want to understand this period I would recommend the BBC documentary done at the same time I Caesar.
He starts of why Byzantium became Constantinople in 5 minutes as well as in one episode eulogising the late Roman Emperors Constantine the Great and Justinian without going in to explanation the deeper political paradigm of their complicated and separate times. To prove my point he says how wonderful Justinian and Theodora were whilst ignoring the historical events of the Nika riots, the unpopular taxes and his general unpopularity nor going in to Theodora's origins as a prostitute or her ruthless encouragement in putting down the Nika riots.
Another rigid approach he has is explaining the culture of Byzantium just through iconoclasm and the conversion of Russia and not going in to further divisions of the eastern Churches in Byzantium and its separation from Rome nor its art and architecture only mentioning Hagia Sophia and wrapping it in sheer elaboration or the evolution of its own identity with this split. Further he attributes the end of Byzantium to the Venetians and the Ottoman conquest with out explaining to much why the Empire was reduced and fell over time which also arose out of internal political rivalries and civil wars the Ottoman conquest was just by sheer fate sometime coming though he is fair to the Ottoman conquest of Byzantium. To him 1453 is the end well no Russia becomes the imperial successor to Byzantium it changes its geography just as its Roman predecessor and a separate episode of the impact it had in making of Tsarist Russia until the 20 century would of also explained its legacy. In short elaborate and shallow not formal and objective if you want to understand this period I would recommend the BBC documentary done at the same time I Caesar.