I am now active on Substack!
A welcome post
Hello everyone! Welcome to my Substack. The main focus of this account will be medieval Roman (or Byzantine, if you prefer) history. The secondary focus will be the occupation of a professor in the United States. Hence the handle @byzantineprof. I am a Professor of History at Indiana University Northwest. My main research focus is the sixth-century Roman Empire of Justinian, but my interests range all along the longue durée of Roman history (from the founding of Rome in 753 BC to the fall of Constantinople in 1453 AD). At my university, I am the only history professor with pre-modern interests, so I teach quite a range of courses, from ancient Greece to late medieval crusades, with lots of Roman and early medieval history in between. Follow this account for musings on ancient and medieval Roman history, the state of Byzantine history as a discipline, what it means to be a professor in the United States, and how the academy should be interacting with the general public in a positive way. More in-depth posts begin tomorrow. For now, please enjoy this coronation scene from the Madrid Skylitzes (12th century):
I am politically active but history has always been my first love. I too look forward to learning more about an era not very well covered during my youth. I enjoy learning. I look forward to your posts.
I am excited to read for posts on Byzantine history David.
It’s a topic I am interested in, but there are so few armchair historian level books on the period.
So, I am looking forward to what you write on Substack!