The Byzantine empire: everything you wanted to know

What did it mean to be ‘born in the purple’? What lasting legacy did the empire have on how we eat dinner? And what does ‘Byzantine’ actually mean? Professor Judith Herrin responds to listener questions and internet search queries about the 1,000-year history of Byzantine empire, which emerged in late antiquity and survived until the end of the Middle Ages.

Judith Herrin is the author of Byzantium: The Surprising Life of a Medieval Empire (Penguin, 2008)