Review: 'Byzantium in the Iconoclast Era'

This is an extremely important work, and there is no doubt that it will continue to be cited, and likely criticized, for many years to come. At almost one thousand pages, this book could easily be two volumes, and is in fact written in such a way that it would almost be more amenable in two volumes except for the fact that the two halves to this book are essential to each other. The book is roughly divided into two. The "narrative analysis" runs for about the first 450 pages, although it passes very quickly due to the large (but necessary) number of plates. It sets up the context and takes the reader through the history of iconoclasm while keeping a very firm hold on the wider context. However, one should realize that this is not just a retelling of the main events of iconoclasm. This is an academic book, and although one could certainly get the story from reading it, if one just wants to understand the major events then Ostrogorsky or Haldon's own general history book would be a good choice. In no way can the book be faulted for this, as the $150 price tag should scare off all but the most dedicated. The chapter on Leo III is a good expansion of Haldon's 1977 article in Byzantinoslavica and makes some very important notes on the reliability of Theophanes. The history section runs to the "Triumph of Orthodoxy" as confirmed by the synod of 815 under Theodora. A small quibble has to be raised on that subject, for while the sources generally seem to support it, the explanation of the end of iconoclasm is a bit sudden. The case is made that iconoclasm was brought to an end by Theodora and her brothers is not given much page space. However, that is only a minor complaint. The early chapters are filled with references (and quite good pictures of) archaeological and artistic source material, and it blends into the analytical narrative quite well. Although it may appear that the literary sources are not given the criticism and introduction that they may deserve, but that was done in Brubaker and Haldon's Byzantium in the Iconoclast Era (C. 680-850): The Sources: An Annotated Survey (Birmingham Byzantine and Ottoman Monographs). It is no fault of this book that the earlier volume is no longer available at a reasonable price, so shame on Ashgate.

The second half of the book is a series of thematic but interconnected essays on various aspects of eighth and ninth-century Byzantine history. This part of the book feels like an expansion of Haldon's Byzantium in the Seventh Century: The Transformation of a Culture in which the economy, patterns of settlement, social relations, and the administration are treated. It is very complete, very conclusive, and will no doubt replace Mark Whittow's The Making of Byzantium, 600-1025 as the standard work on the transformation of the late Roman to the Byzantine world, albeit the length and depth will reserve this work for the hands of the initiated. These chapters are incredibly important for understanding the transformations that took place during the era of iconoclasm, although I will only mention one of the points that the authors raise in this review. The origins of the themata have been a contentious issue in Byzantine Studies since the nineteenth century, and with decades of experience on this topic behind him, Haldon finally puts the question of origins to rest.

This may be the most important work in the field of Byzantine Studies in the past several years, and it will no doubt continue to remain an important work for decades to come. It challenges almost every common assumption propagated since the time of Norwich, and due to the books breadth and the authors' mastery of the sources, it will simply be inexcusable for anyone publishing on this period to not have engaged with the points that this book puts forth.