A civilization that was by no means inferior to Western Europe in the Middle Ages - and, on the contrary, in many ways superior to it. In the schools of Constantinople, the subtlest nuances of the literary and philosophical heritage of Plato, Socrates and Homer were discussed - and in Western Europe even the “Song” had not yet been created about Roland." Rivers of gold flowed into the Byzantine capital - the greatest center of culture, trade, science and crafts; Byzantine armies many times confronted enemy forces ready to invade Europe. And it was Byzantium that was the last shield between Christian Europe and the Muslim East. Reading the fascinating book by Lars Brownworth, the reader seems to find himself on the streets and palaces of Constantinople during interesting periods in the history of the Roman Empire...