Over the past fifty years, the history and culture of the Byzantine empire has ceased to be the preserve of a few scholars and is now taught and debated in universities all over the world. This book provides an introduction to the source material and to the very best recent writing on the empire's political history (306-1453), its art, army, religion, literature and economy. Recent developments in gender studies and archaeology are also explored. The book will be of interest to university students and anyone interested in understanding the ongoing debates about this mysterious and perplexing yet fascinating society.