Michael Baizerman Author

I have outlined the plot of my upcoming article, which will focus on the joint attack on the Byzantine capital by the forces of the Syrian army and the caliphate fleet. The Arab siege of Constantinople lasted approximately 13 months, from July 717 to August 718. The article will be divided into the following sections: A: The Umayyad Caliphate B: Pre-war Byzantine C: Preparations D: The Grand Invasion E: Negotiations F: Leo the Gambler G: The siege H: The Bitter Winter I: Reinforcements J: Lifting the siege K: The Aftermath   The first two parts will describe the Umayyad Caliphate and Byzantium on the brink of war. The next two sections will discuss the Arab preparations for the invasion and the beginning of military activities. Sections five and six will focus on the negotiations between the main characters: General Maslama of the Syrian army and his Byzantine counterpart, General Leo the Isaurian, who later ascended the throne as Leo III. Sections seven a...

  I was not satisfied with the previous draft of this chapter, so I decided to conduct new research and found new features. I started by creating a new database and I am currently in the process of gathering valuable information and developing content for a future narrative. As I mentioned before, I will not reference "Greek Fire" in this chapter. However, I am considering the possibility that Byzantine sailors could have used less technological methods, such as fire arrows or grenades hurled or launched by catapults, to burn enemy ships. I will be examining Arabic sources for the negotiations between Leo III and the Arabic commanders, although it's worth noting that these late accounts may not be entirely reliable. The same refers to the Byzantine sources.    Additionally, I have added a new book to my reading list: "A Sailor's Life for Me: the Middle Byzantine Sailor on Board and at Port" by Zeynep Olgun. This book, which is the author's thesis for th...