Here is his theory (which seems sound to me, so we'll say it is my stance as well): for whatever reason, Constantinople falls in a seige. So here is the theory: what if Constantinople HAD fallen during the Arab invasions of 674-8? (Or the second invasion in 717-8?) The Byzantine Empire was one of the strangest entities of its day for 1200 years it was a religious and cultural unity that spread far beyond its own borders, and at a couple points in time the Empire did not stretch beyond the borders of Constantinople, yet the Empire survived. This was a hypothetical statement by one of my professors.
