The Alexiad

Good

As usual, I am not reviewing Anna Komnene as an historian. I am reviewing this particular edition of her work. This is a relatively recent edition of the 'Alexiad'. While the core of E.R.A. Sewter's 1969 translation remains in place, many changes have been made and they are all good. The first, and most visually obvious, is the jacket. The 2003 edition of the Alexiad featured a figure in mosaic, which the book identified as Alexios Komnenos, as depicted in a 12th c. mosaic in the Hagia Sophia. This isn't entirely wrong, in that the mosaic is of Alexios Komnenos, it's just the wrong one. The figure depicted was Alexios, son of John II Komnenos and heir-apparent until his early death. His mosaic is attached but is rotated 90 degrees from the famous mosaic panel of his parents, making the mis-identification understandable for a badly-informed tourist guide, but not a serious publication. Thankfully, Penguin has fixed this issue and replaced the cover image with a high-quality picture (the coin it is a picture of is about the size of a thumbnail) of one of Alexios I Komnenos' hyperpyra (meaning: fire-refined) coins. The new editor, Oxford's Peter Frankopan has also adopted a more regular transliteration style based upon that used in the The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium (3-Volume Set) , in place of Sewter's original Latin-based transliteration style. These changes extend into the text as well, which generally seems to be mostly unchanged, although Frankopan's updates allow for more precision. Titles and important Greek terms are left transliterated. The book's appendices are also much overhauled. Rather than work too hard, the original 'Alexiad' borrowed a few appendices from Sewter's earlier translation of Michael Psellos' Fourteen Byzantine Rulers: The Chronographia of Michael Psellus (Penguin Classics) . The essays on Greek fire and the Byzantine navy are gone, which is fine because they both include much old scholarship. Instead, a table of relevant Byzantine rulers, popes, and patriarchs is included, as well as stemmata of the Doukas and Komnenos families. The real valuable addition lies in Frankopan's excellent notes. For a Penguin Classic this is exceptional, as they are usually rather bare when it comes to notes. While Frankopan's explanatory notes hardly make this a serious commentary, they are useful for understanding Anna's classical references and the context when she fails to explain herself or is being deliberately manipulative. A glossary is also provided. Such an addition is absolutely essential, as many titles are now just transliterated in the text itself. While the entries are brief, they are sufficient. Frankopan also includes a bibliographic essay at the start of the text which provides a useful summary of the most recent and important scholarship. The new maps are also more clear than Sewter's original ones, although they retain the usefulness of the originals in making many of the locations described in the text easy to locate. This new edition of the 'Alexiad' includes some very useful support materials. It is one of the finest Penguin Classics in print, and easily replaces Sewter's original version.

The Alexiad is the Iliad of Byzantium. It reads like a novel, but is a history by Anna Komene the daughter of Emperor Alexius I of Constantinople (the famous emperor during The First Crusade). It contains everything from Byzantine social life to religious practices, warfare tactics, and every political intrigue and subtle nuance of living in Queen of Cities. Scholars question accounts like Komene due to their bias, but I argue all history is biased. If you read The Hundred Year's War from a Brit St. Joan of Arc is a witch, if you read it from the French historians she was a saint or at the very least a paragon of chivalry and nationalism. The Alexiad contains details about how Byzantines in upper eschelons lived, and it does contain all graphic details, "removal of eyes as punishment" and more. I highly recommend this historia, because it is not only readable and wittingly entertaining, but informative. While some may say modern scholarship is better, can you really disregard accounts and details from people who lived in time period and among the events modern scholars speculate about? You be the judge.

I am not going to go into great detail about the book or its subject matter as that has been well covered by the other reviews and amazons product page. Suffice to say I really enjoyed this translation. The story flowed smoothly and I gained a good understanding of the mindset of the author and the period. As history goes this is one of those cant put it down books. I am not sure why other reviewers felt it was boring or heavy going but for myself as person who is passionate about European history this was a really enjoyable little read. I liked it so much I bought another copy as a gift for my father.If you enjoy source material from the period then this is really a wonderful little book. Very human and very enjoyable. I plan to read it again in a year or two.

È un testo molto interessante. Un libro da studiare più che un racconto

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