At only 22 years of age, the author of the acclaimed Road to Oxiana traveled with his friends for the first time to Mount Athos in Greece. The eye-opening visit inspired a classic appraisal of its treasures and men--one that immediately established Byron as a major new talent. A deep love for Byzantine civilization and reverence for antiquity glow from every page. "It is a volume that will bear reading again and again"--Daily Telegraph.