Depiction of Greek fire in the Madrid Skylitzes manuscript. Thanks to Basil Argyros, the Byzantine Empire has both it and gunpowder, too.

Basil Argyros is the eponymous main character of a sequence of short stories (by Harry Turtledove) set in an alternate 14th Century. Greek fire in use, from http://www. ... Greek fire in use, from http://www. ... John/Ioannes Skylitzes/Scylitzes (Ιωάννης Σκυλίτζης, 1081) was a Byzantine historian of the late 11th century. ... Harry Norman Turtledove (born June 14, 1949) is an American historian and prolific novelist who has written historical fiction, fantasy, and science fiction works. ...

In this universe, the Prophet Moaumet, instead of developing Islam, converts to Christianity. As such, by the time the stories take place, the Eastern Roman Emperor is still the pre-eminent power in the Mediterranean world, has reconquered much of Europe and Africa, and is still - as it was in our history up to the advent of Islam - involved in a never-ending Cold War (occasionally flaring up into actual fighting)with its Persian arch-enemy. Muhammad in a new genre of Islamic calligraphy started in the 17th century by Hafiz Osman. ... For people named Islam, see Islam (name). ... Christianity percentage by country, purple is highest, orange is lowest Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Wycliffe Tyndale · Luther · Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Pope · Archbishop of Canterbury Patriarch... This is a list of Byzantine Emperors. ... For other uses, see Cold War (disambiguation). ... The Persian Empire was a series of historical empires that ruled over the Iranian plateau, the old Persian homeland, and beyond in Western Asia, Central Asia and the Caucasus. ...

Basil works as an agent for the Roman Emperor, and as such is sent across the Empire to solve problems - sometimes as a spy, sometimes as a negotiator, and sometimes as a soldier.

Stories in the Basil Argyros universe (in order written) are:

• Unholy Trinity
• Archetypes
• The Eyes of Argos
• Strange Eruptions
• Images
• Superwine
• Pillar of Cloud, Pillar of Fire

Most of the above were collected into a single book, Agent of Byzantium. An additional story in the universe, "Departures," was written by Turtledove; Basil was absent from it as it took place hundreds of years earlier, and focused on the future St. Moaumet. Furthermore, "Pillar of Cloud, Pillar of Fire" was not published until after the first edition of Agent of Byzantium. It was including in the second edition of the book (published by Baen Books). Baen Books logo Baen Books is an American publishing company established in 1983 by SF publishing industry long-timer Jim Baen (1943-2006). ...

Description

The world of the Basil Argyros series.

Much of the fun of the series is to see how familiar inventions and social institutions crop up in this world far ahead of schedule, and under very different circumstances than they did in our world. Among these are: Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...

• The telescope, discovered among the shamans of the Jurchen nomads who threaten the Empire from the north
• Inoculation, which is discovered during a terrible plague inflicting Constantinople itself
• Trade Unions and strikes, appearing first among the builders engaged in the dangerous erection of a great lighthouse in Alexandria, Egypt
• Gunpowder, developed by the monks in the Abbey of St. Gall and used with great effect by the empire's Frankish enemies - until stolen by Argyros, with the help of agents from an Anglo-Saxon England which has known no Norman Conquest
• Printing, invented by the empire's Persian enemies and used to foment sedition and dissension inside its borders, until this secret is also apprehended by Argyros.

The Byzantine-Persian Cold War gives Turtledove countless chances for small jokes referring to its Twentieth Century equivalent, for example when Argyros's superior, the Master of Offices (the head of the corps of Magistrianoi, the Roman espionage/secret police agency), is at first inclined to classify printing as a top Imperial secret and needs considerable convincing before accepting that it may also have non-military applications. (Argyros uses it to print several copies of one of the Master of Office's epic poems in preparation for a reading given at a dinner party.) This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Specifically, Shaman (saman) is a term in Evenk, Manchu and other Manchu-Tungus languages for an intellectual and spiritual figure; who usually possess power and influence on other peoples in the tribe and performs several functions, one of which is analogous to the function of a healer in other cultures. ... The Jurchens (Chinese: 女真, pinyin: nǚzhēn) were a Tungusic people who inhabited parts of Manchuria and northern Korea until the seventeenth century, when they became the Manchus. ... Inoculation, originally Variolation, is a method of purposefully infecting a person with smallpox (Variola) in a controlled manner so as to minimise the severity of the infection and also to induce immunity against further infection. ... Map of Constantinople. ... A union (labor union in American English; trade union, sometimes trades union, in British English; either labour union or trade union in Canadian English) is a legal entity consisting of employees or workers having a common interest, such as all the assembly workers for one employer, or all the workers... Nickname: Alexandria on the map of Egypt Map of Alexandria Coordinates: , Country Egypt Founded 334 BC Government  - Governor Adel Labib Population (2001)  - City 3,500,000 Time zone EET (UTC+2)  - Summer (DST) EEST (UTC+3) Twin Cities  - Baltimore  United States  - Cleveland  United States  - ConstanÅ£a  Romania  - Durban  South Africa... Smokeless powder Gunpowder is an explosive mixture that burns rapidly, producing volumes of hot gas which can be used as a propellant in firearms. ... Abbey of St. ... Statue of Charlemagne (also called Karl der Große, Charles the Great) in Frankfurt, Germany. ... The Anglo-Saxons refers collectively to the groups of Germanic tribes who achieved dominance in southern Britain from the mid-5th century, forming the basis for the modern English nation. ... Motto (French) God and my right Anthem No official anthem - the United Kingdom anthem God Save the Queen is commonly used England() – on the European continent() – in the United Kingdom() Capital (and largest city) London (de facto) Official languages English (de facto) Unified  -  by Athelstan 927 AD  Area  -  Total 130... Bayeux Tapestry depicting events leading to the Battle of Hastings The Norman Conquest of England was the conquest of the Kingdom of England by William the Conqueror (Duke of Normandy), in 1066 at the Battle of Hastings and the subsequent Norman control of England. ... For other articles which might have the same name, see Print (disambiguation). ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ... For other uses, see Cold War (disambiguation). ...

There are also numerous obvious nods to the James Bond series. In the best tradition of that genre, Argyros is furnished with a perfect enemy/lover - a beautiful and fiendishly clever Persian spy, Mirrane, as adept in the arts of love as she is highly professional in the field. (Randall Garrett also provided his Lord Darcy with exactly the same kind of opponent, in his own alternate reality). Flemings image of James Bond; commissioned to aid the Daily Express comic strip artists. ... Randall Garrett (December 16, 1927 - December 31, 1987) was an American science fiction and fantasy author. ... Lord Darcy is a detective in an alternate history. ... This phrase may be used: to refer to a group of computer games called Alternate Reality. as another way of describing the concept of a parallel universe in physics or metaphysics. ...

So, Argyros and Mirrane cross swords and wits again and again, and simultaneously come to realise that they are two of a kind, and fall more and more deeply in love with each other. In the chronologically last story of the series, they join forces against Caucasian enemies who threaten both empires (as Western and Soviet agents occasionally do in Cold War thrillers). Ethno-Linguistic groups in the Caucasus region For the term Caucasian referring to all white people, see Caucasian race. ...

In the conclusion, Argyros manages to capture Mirrane, and rather than treat her as a key enemy agent from whom secrets could be extracted, he proposes marriage and life together in Constantinople - which she accepts, though the reader may doubt that she either would or could truly renounce her Persian allegiance and Zoroastrian beliefs.