Tiglath Pileser
Exploring the history of Byzantium, the Ottomans, and their neighbours — empires, borders, and the crossroads of civilizations.
- The Battle of Focchies was a significant naval engagement that took place on 12 May 1649 in the harbour of Focchies, Smyrna, between a Venetian force and an Ottoman fleet, resulting in a crushing victory for the Venetian fleet. The Ottomans loss is the arts gain, courtesy of Abraham Beerstratenm.
- The Koimesis mosaic in the Chora Church or Kariye Mosque (Turkish: Kariye Camii) in the Edirnekapı neighbourhood of the Fatih district, Istanbul, Turkey. Koimesis (the Dormition of the Virgin; ascending to Heaven). Jesus is holding an infant, symbolic of Mary's soul. 📷By Dosseman
- The Chora Church or Kariye Mosque - Kariye Camii - is a Byzantine church, now converted to a mosque in the Edirnekapı neighborhood of Fatih district, Istanbul, Turkey. It is famous for its outstanding Late Byzantine mosaics and frescos.
- The Viking siege of Constantinople (860). 20,000 Vikings attacked Constantinople. They met walls they couldn’t climb and a sea that burned.
- The deservedly lesser-known 860 Siege of Constantinople was a surprise naval attack by the "Rus' Khaganate" (probably Norsemen) on the Byzantine capital. Exploiting Emperor Michael III’s absence, the Rus' ravaged the suburbs before retreating. Win. 📷 Detail from a medieval Russian icon.
- " The stare of a warrior is mightier than the sword of a coward ". - Ertugrul I would not want to spill his pint...
- 16th-century pen pals Murad III and Elizabeth I An Ottoman sultan and an English queen. Writing politely. Talking trade, alliances, and shared enemies.
- A shared enemy: Spain Both faced a serious challenge from the Habsburg power. Trade English merchants were granted trading privileges inside the Ottoman Empire. Protestant ≠ Catholic Elizabeth presented Protestant England as anti-idolatry, closer to Islam. Both sides understood the game.
- This helmet was forged from watered steel and decorated in gold with arabesques and Koranic inscriptions. Probably Ottoman ca1560. Almost certainly for a high-ranking member of the court. 📷 Metmuseum
- War Hat Italian, Milan ca. 1590 Undecorated war hats were a common form of head defence during the Middle Ages and into the early sixteenth century. Probably made for a nobleman of high rank. 📷 Metmuseum
- An example of Macedonian-era ivorywork from Constantinople: the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste.
