Drawing on the inheritance of Greece, Rome, the East and Christianity, Byzantine art flourished for over a thousand years between the founding of Constantinople by Constantine the Great on the site of ancient Byzantium in 330 and the fall of the city, captured by the Seljuk Turks in 1453 and re-named Istanbul. This remarkable book showcases the monumental decors, mosaics, manuscripts, gold and silverware, sculpture and architecture of an art all too often appreciated only for its solemnly hieratic icons. For each major period, the developments affecting the entire range of artistic disciplines are placed in context in a brief historical introduction.