By the 7th century, the ‘grandeur that was Rome’ had faded, thanks to wars, sackings and plagues. Power had shifted eastwards. Yet the lure of the Eternal City drew pilgrims and tourists along an ancient route, says Matthew Harffy, author of Shadows of the Slain. He describes early medieval Rome for Historia. Shadows of the […]
Greek Fire, the early medieval weapon of mass destruction
Matthew Harffy looks at Greek Fire (also called Roman Fire), ‘the early medieval weapon of mass destruction’, and its connection with the Vikings and al-Andalus, as featured in his novel A Day of Reckoning. Humankind has an incredible capacity for creativity. But it is a terrible reality that this talent for creation and innovation has […]
The Bear of Byzantium by SJA Turney
AD1041. After successfully avenging the death of his father, Halfdan and the crew of the Sea Wolf seek adventure in strange new lands, far from their Scandinavian home. They join the fleet of Harald Hardrada, the legendary Viking commander, sailing back to Constantinople from the battlefields of Georgia. There they join the Varangians, the personal […]
Stealing the secret of silk: the first international industrial spies?
Into the crisis-ridden Eastern Roman Empire of the 6th century two monks arrived with an audacious plan: to steal the secret of silk production from China. Why was this idea so important to Emperor Justinian? Jemahl Evans, author of The Charioteer, unravels what may have been the first recorded case of international industrial espionage in […]
The Charioteer by Jemahl Evans
Constantinople, AD550. The Roman Empire is in crisis with war in Italy and plague ravaging the cities. Emperor Justinian’s reconquest of the west has stalled, and his treasury is bankrupt. Porphyrius the Charioteer, a bitter former slave, is the greatest competitor to ever ride in the Hippodrome, but when he loses his last race an […]