Byzantine imperial imagery is commonly perceived as a static system. In contrast to this common portrayal; this book draws attention to its openness and responsiveness to other artistic traditions. Through a close examination of significant objects and monuments created over a 350-year period; from the ninth to the thirteenth century; Alicia Walker shows how the visual articulation of Byzantine imperial power not only maintained a visual vocabulary inherited from Greco-Roman antiquity and the Judeo-Christian tradition; but also innovated on these artistic precedents by incorporating styles and forms from contemporary foreign cultures; specifically the Sasanian; Chinese and Islamic worlds. In addition to art and architecture; this book explores historical accounts and literary works as well as records of ceremonial practices; thereby demonstrating how texts; ritual and images operated as integrated agents of imperial power. Walker offers new ways to think about cross-cultural interaction in the Middle Ages and explores the diverse ways in which imperial images employed foreign elements in order to express particularly Byzantine meanings.
#1442481 in eBooks 2013-09-01 2013-09-01File Name: B00JMQQD7M
Review
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Paradigm Shift in terms of geometryBy Utkan UluçayThis is an interesting book. Dated 1884; woven with strange and negative perception for women but anyway definetely interesting.Every character is happy in his "limited" universe. They do not want to hear anything about other possible things. When they have been exposured such explanations they got angry!Every character lives in his universe "a dimension missing". In Lineland every character can see a point which has zero dimension in a universe of one dimension which is lenght. Every character is capable to deduct missing dimension by thinking; dreaming;... In Lineland every character is aware of the others length which they have never seen...It is similar in Flatland; there are squares; triangles; circles;... but all they can see is a flat line and they need to touch eachother to check the shape.A square tried to enlighten a line but failed. They hated each other. A sphere tried to enlighten a square; first he pissed off and then sphere pushed him to other dimension.... That is a shock. The shift has happened by force! Square enlightened more than expected hence he queried sphere about the fourth dimension. This time sphere pissed off.We belong to our universes and provided a force majeur we are capable to adopt ourselves to a new paradigm.Unfortunately this is not a voluntary process.I suggest Thomas Kuhn for those readers who interested in "paradigm shift".0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Flatland takes you on a journey into dimensionsBy innovate riskA challenging read at first; but one that you recognise you are enjoying as you progress; and you rapidly finish wishing it went for longer.Flatland takes you on a journey into dimensions; exploring how we see the world with our "single" focus; yet there is nothing singular about the dimensions. We are all the dot; the line; the square; the cube; and the 4th dimension...Within the story there is also a message on equality; which from my reading of the author; appears to not be a focus area. However; it is there to read. The judgement; the rationalisation; and the setting of expectations of women. You would think that we would have come further since the 1880s; but alas it seems from an equality perspective we have a long way to go; where we judge the person less for how they look.A short book worth reading; and persist through it; because you leave all the better.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. A "point of view" worth exploringBy David LefavorMake sure you get the illustrated version. Without them the book makes no sense.I somehow lost my paper copy of this and am glad that there is a kindle version - actually several versions. Some of them lack the illustrations.The story itself requires considerable visualization; even with the illustrations. The acts of envisioning a two-dimensional world by a three-dimensional being such as myself resulted in some very satisfying intellectual gymnastics. Highly recommended and the book invites multiple re-reads.
