Byzantine fortifications : protecting the Roman Empire in the east

The Byzantine empire was one of the most powerful forces in the Mediterranean and Near East for over a thousand years. Strong military organization, in particular widespread fortifications, was essential for its defense. Yet this aspect of its history is often neglected, and no detailed overview has been published for over thirty years. That is why Nikos Kontogiannis's ambitious account of Byzantine fortifications - their construction and development and their role in times of war - is such a valuable and timely publication. His ambitious study combines the results of decades of wide-ranging archaeological work with an account of the armies, weapons, tactics and defensive strategies of the empire throughout its long history. Fortifications built in every region of the empire are covered, from those in Mesopotamia, Syria and Africa, to those in Asia Minor, the Aegean and the Balkan peninsula. This all-round survey is essential reading and reference for anyone with a special interest in the Byzantine empire and in the wider history of fortification. The Byzantine empire was one of the most powerful forces in the Mediterranean and Near East for over a thousand years. Strong military organization, in particular widespread fortifications, was essential for its defence. Yet this aspect of its history is often neglected, and no detailed overview has been published for over thirty years. That is why Nikos Kontogiannis's ambitious account of Byzantine fortifications -their construction and development and their role in times of war -is such a valuable and timely publication. His ambitious study combines the results of decades of wide-ranging archaeological work with an account of the armies, weapons, tactics and defensive strategies of the empire throughout its long history. Fortifications built in every region of the empire are covered, from those in Mesopotamia, Syria and Africa, to those in Asia Minor, the Aegean and the Balkan peninsula. This all-round survey is essential reading and reference for anyone with a special interest in the Byzantine empire and in the wider history of fortification Cover Book title Copyright Contents Glossary Introduction PART ONE THE EARLY BYZANTINEPERIOD 1. The Late Roman Defences (3rd and 4th Centuries) 2. The Fortifications of the 5th and ‘Long’ 6th Centuries 3. What Makes an ‘Early Byzantine’ Fortification? Part 2: The Middle Byzantine Period 4. The Fortifications from the 7th to the 9th Century 5. The Fortifications of the 10th and 11th Centuries 6. The Fortifications of the ‘long’ 12th Century 7. What Makes a ‘Middle Byzantine’ Fortification? Part 3: The Late Byzantine Period 8. The Late Byzantine Fortifications (13th to 15th Centuries) 9. The Empire of Nicaea/Constantinople and the Despotate of Morea 10. The Empire of Thessaloniki/the Despotate of Epirus/Duchy of Thessaly 11. The Empire of Trebizond 12. What Makes a ‘Late Byzantine’ Fortification? Overview: Byzantine Walls – Functions, Perceptions and ‘Other’ Fortifications ‘A Tower of Strength, a Tower of Firmness, a Tower of Life . . .’ Notes Bibliography Index Back Cover