Coffee is the second most important commodity in the world after oil. The drink has a long history and what's more, its effect seems to be stimulating in two senses.
For 1000 years, Christian Byzantium was considered the epitome of faith, power and wealth. But in the end, it sank into violence, resentment, war and catastrophe. Who were these Byzantines? How did Byzantium become the new world power after Rome? And what role did Constantinople play in the emergence of the Christian West?
