Byzantine History

Arts & Culture

Volcanic winter and pandemic pandemonium

A terrible onslaught of bubonic plague in the sixth century abruptly ended Emperor Justinian’s dream of reunifying the Roman empire and caused massive geopolitical upheaval

Arts & Culture

Hagia Sophia reigns serene

Istanbul’s 1,500 year-old Hagia Sophia has a tumultuous history and its return to being a mosque is only the latest twist for a building that has long rolled with the times