Constantinople rich historical pickings

Istanbul’s Blue mosque and Hagia Sophia is reflected by calm water. Photo: Getty Images
Istanbul’s Blue mosque and Hagia Sophia is reflected by calm water. Photo: Getty Images

A lack of good illustrations lets down this rich account of the Byzantine and Roman Empires, reviewer Jim Sullivan finds.

GHOST EMPIRE
Richard Fidler
ABC Books

As a student 50 years ago, entangled in the intricacies of the disintegrating Roman Empire, how useful I would have found Ghost Empire.

Although the city of Constantinople takes centre stage, the story is really that of the Byzantine and Roman Empires, initially of their dazzling days of glory and then the long and lively decline and ruin. But Constantinople’s legacy far outlived the smoking debris of the Ottoman takeover in 1453.

Richard Fidler quotes Irish poet W. B. Yeats whose Sailing to Byzantium reignited Western interest in the mysteries and accomplishments of old Constantinople. In a BBC broadcast in 1931 Yeats said, "When Irishmen were illuminating the Book of Kells, and making the jewelled croziers in the National Museum, Byzantium was the centre of European civilization and the source of its spiritual philosophy, so I symbolise the search for the spiritual life by a journey to that city."

While spiritual matters and the often ridiculous posturing of theologians form part of the tale, most of Constantinople’s story is an adventure yarn and the author has adopted the useful device of telling the tale to his teenage son. That father and son also explore the modern city of Istanbul to find remnants of the empire gives us a tangible grip on the past.

Such a gimmick would not have occurred to English historian Edward Gibbon, but it may have made him more readable, especially as the raw material is there for a television soap opera which would make Eastenders seem like Listen with Mother.

Following a framework based on the chronology of Byzantine emperors, the author has a multitude of riches to play with. Noble warriors, lecherous cowards and unscrupulous money grabbers. Incest, gruesome tortures, betrayal, superstition and gory battles provide more than a hint that such an empire could not last forever.

To tell the story well, Fidler has moved outside the ultimately pregnable walls of Constantinople. That bit parts are allotted to the Pope, Genghis Khan, Muhammed, King Harold and others makes Ghost Empire world history. That we also learn what food is on sale at the bars of modern Istanbul is a reminder that historical writing can become something of a mixed salad of old facts, modern travellers’ tales and intriguing recipes.

The glorious artefacts of Constantinople are at the heart of the history, but to illustrate them well in a book is a costly business. Ghost Empire has chosen to make do with pictures which are little more than thumbnails. Better to have dropped them altogether and instead point the reader to a companion volume for reference.

That the Australian Broadcasting Corporation should be co-publisher is explained by the fact that Richard Fidler is a respected interviewer for ABC Radio. On television he could possibly present his Ghost Empire with great success. It would solve the lack of good illustrations.

- Jim Sullivan is a Patearoa writer.

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