The unique book of professor of the London Royal college Judith Херрин is sanctified to millennial history of the East Roman empire - from founding of Constantinople to his capture турками-османами in 1453. An authoritative researcher offers a new look to opposition of the Byzantine empire and Western world, dissidence of christian church and reason of falling of empire. An author draws the portraits of emperors bright paints and empresses, soldiery usurpers and spiritual leaders, talented scientists and famous courtesans. A separate head is sanctified to eunuches - special influential caste managing large politics. The thin connoisseur of epoch, Judith Херрин, recreates the pictures of everyday life of emperor's court : brilliance of gold, luxury of clothings, difficult ceremonies, refined entertainments "born in a purple". With the special attention an author lights up the spiritual side of life empires, explains reasons of return from an iconoclast to иконопочитанию and proves once again, that exactly Byzantium is the first christian empire taking a spiritual exploit for basis, - able to restrain islam expansion and prevent the conquest of Europe.