>>14369111>funded immense art and architectural projects>breakthroughs in Geometry and StaticsByzantines did that too (pic rel, except there was orthodox art instead of the muslim symbols). Also the Byzantine throne at one time had hydraulics that would make it rise up and bronze birds that would sing like real ones
>The largest concentration of mechanized industry in the world was in Southern FranceThat was hundrets of years after the fall of the Byzantines. What is even your point here?
>They also had superior metallurgy.And the Byzantines had Greek fire
>Weird Orthocentric cope narrativeYeah, the point was to conclude how the cultural changes affected the greek world. Christianity also became dominant in the west, but the west always was more latin than greek and didn't have hellenistic culture prior to that