other bits of divine wisdom

One thing the Byzantines did well was columns; even the monogram on the first one isn't tacky.




The green on this wasn't even visible to the naked eye (thanks, telephoto) but it's a strikingly contemporary use of color. I think I'll recreate this in my living room.



One thing that's always seemed to me completely alien, though, is the use of fancy marble: it's hideous. And the whole interior of hagia sophia is covered in it. It just seems like excess, or at least expense, for its own sake. I wonder whether that was clear to anyone at the time.