Tue 20 Jun 2006
12 Byzantine Rulers: A History of the Byzantine Empire by Lars Brownworth is a series of lectures by podcast that offer an insightful look at the origins, development, and relevance of the Byzantine Empire. According to the short biography on his website, Mr. Brownworth is a History teacher at the Stony Brook School on Long Island and has “traveled and studied Byzantine history extensively”. His lectures by podcast are extensive in their purview and exceptional in their depth. Mr. Brownworth is not content to merely offer you names and dates. He is committed to his mission of having his listeners walk away from his lectures with a keen understanding of the origins and development of the Byzantine Empire. His lectures are rife with anecdotes and ancillary information that offer a complete picture of his chosen subject matter. Overall, the lectures are very informative and provide a quality learning experience.
Editor’s Note: Admittedly, reviewing podcasts requires the discussion of several elements that are alien (at least in context) to the reviewing of bound literature, specifically tempo, clarity, and enunciation. Thankfully, as with most items contained in these reviews, these characteristics are subjective and expertise is not essential.
12 Byzantine Rulers: A History of the Byzantine Empire offers its listeners a wealth of information delivered in a well-formatted audio file. Throughout my podcast listening experience I have noted that podcasts created by amateurs outside of a professional recording studio tend to produce scratchy, rough recordings that are erratic in their voice patterns and lack a sense of continuity. This appears to be a side effect of stopping and starting the recording process at different points. In stark contrast, Mr. Brownworth’s lecture series is clear, precise, and flows from introduction to ending. It would appear that Mr. Brownworth records his lectures in one sitting, thus avoiding this pitfall and preserving the continuity of his lecture. The tempo of his voice is easy to follow and he enunciates well, avoiding any loss during transmission.
In terms of overall content, 12 Byzantine Rulers is an excellent resource for the novice wishing to increase their knowledge of Byzantine and late Roman history. Mr. Brownworth provides an intelligent introduction in his first podcast that illustrates the context in which Byzantine history develops as well as significant background data to aid the listener in understanding the roots of Byzantine history. It is important to note that Mr. Brownworth does not “hold your hand” so to speak, and allows his listeners to draw their own inferences. For example, Brownworth informs his listeners that the Roman emperor Carus is said to have been killed by a bolt of lightning, but that this story may just be a clever way of insinuating that Gaius Valerius Diocles, his name meaning “Zeus’ Glory”, assassinated him. Brownworth does not feel the need to inform his readers that Zeus’s primary ornamentation is the lightning bolt, thus explaining the clever story of Carus’ death. It is also this level of detail that separates Brownworth from his contemporary podcast authors. Brownworth expertly transitions from emperor-to-emperor and provides keen insight on the process and difficulties of succession during the classical era. The listener walks away from his lectures with the feeling that perhaps they just walked out of a University course in Byzantine History and can speak on the era with confidence. Brownworth speaks with the authority of an Oxford don and demonstrates a mastery of the subject matter, attributes that combine to create an exemplary podcast that I would recommend find its way onto your iPod/MP3 player.
Editor’s Note: Mr. Brownworth has released eight lectures in this series and has many more to release to complete his collection of 12 Byzantine Rulers. His lectures can be downloaded through iTunes or through his website at Anders.com.
