Excellent book with special significance to the Greek audience, which not only ignores the history of the Romans in general but also learns it completely wrong (supposedly Greek Byzantium and nonsense).

The first part deals extensively with the myth of the non-existence of a Roman ethnicity in the (Eastern) Roman Empire, without becoming tedious. It explains how the myth started that the Romans were not Romans but Byzantines, Greeks, Armenians, etc., and how this myth continues to be perpetuated. This restoration of the truth should have been a crucial part of Greek public education for children interested in the history of this corner of the world called Greece. Additionally, this serves as an excellent example of how history is used as a tool for mass deception.

The second part of the book is quite specialized and theoretical, analyzing what an empire is and to what extent it applies to the case of the (Eastern) Roman Empire. It will be appealing to a much smaller audience, although the final conclusions are significant. Firstly, the term "empire" is nebulous/problematic and hinders understanding because everyone assumes different things. Secondly, that the (Eastern) Rome was more of a kingdom than an empire, in the sense that it transformed non-Romans into Romans to a greater extent over time, despite fluctuations in size/population, there was a general trend towards reduction/shrinking.

The book is obviously not for mass consumption; it is aimed at people with specific interests. More specifically, those interested in the history of the (Eastern) Romans and people's perceptions of ethnicity. Nevertheless, it is a historical book that can be read without difficulty and can provide knowledge to many Greeks.

Unfortunately, it is only available in English and is very expensive. I found it electronically, and I hope it will be released in Greek and in audiobook format, at more affordable prices.