Archives / 2013 / November

How to Get a Job in History and Why you Should NOT Work for Free

How to Get a Job in History and Why you Should NOT Work for Free

constantinakatsari November 27, 2013

I have been a historian since I remember myself and I always managed to make money out of my chosen profession/ love/ hobby/ purpose in life. I have not always been working at a University as most people would expect. In fact, I started my long history career as an assistant in a Kebap House (go figure!) at the tender age of seventeen. I have learned a lot in that Kebap House about History. I listened to the odd conversation about illegal excavations, I got interested in the gossip about the arc... »

classical and hellenistic era

What was more important, the Classical or the Hellenistic era?

constantinakatsari November 23, 2013

For some scholars, the Hellenistic period is considered as a period of decadence or degeneration when compared to the brilliance of the Greek Classical Era. Without a doubt, the Hellenistic times were the beginning of a new status quo. However it was closely connected to its preceded time period. The Classical period is known as the best time of the Ancient Greek antiquity, the most impressive era; being so significant itself that it cast a serious influence to all western civilization. More par... »

Alexius Comnenus’ not so radical reforms

Alexius Comnenus’ not so radical reforms

constantinakatsari November 15, 2013

Alexius Comenus, whom I mentioned in previous blog posts, was not only interested in external danger.  He also managed to reform a large part of the Byzantine society, despite the widespread opposition. Alexius initially was mainly interested in promoting his own family; therefore, he created a new hierarchy of court titles for its members.  This action turned the imperial family into a new order imposed at the top of the Byzantine society. The titles distributed to his family were, of course, a... »

Alexius Comnenus, the defender of the Byzantine empire

Alexius Comnenus, the defender of the Byzantine empire

constantinakatsari November 14, 2013

  At this point in my life I am infatuated with Byzantine History. So I thought to deal for a while with one of my favourite emperors Alexius Comnenus. When the byzantine empire was thought to be at its needs, he restored it and defended it successfully again and again and again. That was a combination of political acumen and military intelligence. In the following paragraphs I describe some of the events that raised his profile in my eyes. In a previous post I described how Alexius have su... »

The latest interview of Dr. Constantina Katsari to BBC Radio Leicester

The latest interview of Dr. Constantina Katsari to BBC Radio Leicester

constantinakatsari November 12, 2013

My decision to leave the university of Leicester this year puzzled my friends, family, colleagues and others who followed my work closely. So, I decided to reveal my new and exciting plans on BBC Radio. Ben Jackson has been very kind to invite me on his show several months ago. Since I was going through a massive transformation in my professional as well as personal life, I decided to postpone it until this October. Finally, the interview was on air a few weeks ago and I decided to cut it down i... »

Crusaders against Christians

Crusaders against Christians

constantinakatsari November 4, 2013

Did you know that the Crusades against Islam actually affected also the Eastern Roman Empire? The crusaders in their quest for political power and economic supremacy did not always distinguish between muslims and christians. The results of their actions were evident in their behaviour against the emperor of Byzantium and his subjects. Alexius, the first emperor of the dynasty, was in power when the first Crusade took place. In the autumn of 1096, when the Crusaders started gathering outside the ... »