Introduction

This introductory chapter discusses how interpretations of Byzantium have been and still are heavily influenced by later cultural and national agendas. Religion is a central issue in relation to Byzantium. Few historians of the west feel confident when faced with the subject of Byzantine Orthodoxy and many prefer to relegate it to a separate sphere. The increased salience of the idea of a Christian Europe, or indeed a western world, confronted by radical Islam only adds to the discomfort surrounding Byzantium and the Orthodox sphere. Moreover, it does not help in resolving the uncertainty over Byzantium's place in historical writing today that so much of the contemporary written source material is the work of a privileged elite, or that so much Byzantine art is religious in character. Byzantium is not merely medieval but also deeply unfamiliar. Thus, valiant efforts are needed to recapture the world of Byzantine society as a whole, and to reveal and emphasize the secular element that also existed in Byzantium. This book then highlights some of the interesting questions that arise if one tries to understand Byzantium and its society.