Daily Life in Ancient and Modern Istanbul Book

A historical exploration of events and daily life in Istanbul in both ancient and modern times.

Children's Literature

Istanbul, formerly known as both Byzantium and Constantinople, stands as one of the most historic cities of both Europe and Asia. As the capitol of the Eastern Roman Empire, the city survived as the last bastion of that enormous estate. Multi-ethnic in nature, Istanbul has had an amazing history of growth, development, political intrigue, artistic endeavor, and military might. Under the rule of Greek settlers, Roman conquerors, Crusaders, Christian monarchs, and finally Turkish leaders, Istanbul has a rich history that is presented in this slim volume. Tracing this story from the initial Greek settlement days in the seventh century B.C. to the modern age, this book provides a smattering of engaging vignettes related to the history of this city and its people. Topics such as education, religious life, women's rights, and slavery are all touched upon. Life in modern Istanbul is briefly described and used as a contrast to the past splendor of the city. Both period and contemporary illustrations are used to enliven the text. However, although this book does have a place in a middle school social studies or world geography classroom, it lacks some depth. By attempting to cover a time span of two and one half millenniums in thirty pages of text, the author stretches the topic too much. Because of this skimming approach, key topics such as the twentieth century Armenian massacres are not even mentioned. Also, the modern illustrations are uneven in quality. All in all, this book is useful but flawed. 2000, Runestone Press, Ages 10 up, $23.93. Reviewer: Greg M. Romaneck