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I would counter that the longevity of the Oriental Roman Empire was due to the great amount of trade that was occurring in the Aegean Sea, the eastern portion of the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea, the creation of Greek Fire by the Syrian architect Callinicus which burned all the fleets of its enemies such as the Muslims who invaded from North Africa and the Levant to besiege Constantinople, and the growing weaknesses of the Arab caliphates or Muslim empires due to internal divisions, religious conflict and civil war. The fractured condition of the tribes existing beyond the Danube River also benefited the Byzantine Empire.
With the weakening of the Muslim empires, the Eastern Romans/Byzantines were provided with the opportunity of concentrating their forces in the crucial provinces and territories of the empire. Instead of concentrating vast armies alongside the Euphrates River or alongside the Danube River, the field armies of the Byzantines were given the opportunity to heavily concentrate in Western Anatolia and Thrace so as to protect the metropolis of Constantinople and the Dardenelles. In addition, with complete mastery of the Aegean Sea and trade maintained between the empire and the Crimea via the Black Sea, the Byzantines were able to recover from crippling military defeats. It was only with the loss of the province of Aegyptus during the seventh century CE, the fall of the Exarchate of Carthage, and the loss of the interior of Anatolia after the disastrous battle of Manzikert in 1071 CE that the Eastern Romans/Byzantines were unable to fully replace their losses despite the brief moment of recovery under the Komnenians [1081-1185].
Last edited by Conrad_Jalowski; 02-16-2011 at 10:49 PM.
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