Between the eighth and eleventh centuries A.D.， the

　　Byzantine Empire staged an almost unparalleled

　　economic and cultural revival， a recovery that is all the

　　more striking because it followed a long period of severe

　　（5） internal decline. By the early eighth century， the empire

　　had lost roughly two-thirds of the territory it had

　　possessed in the year 600， and its remaining area was

　　being raided by Arabs and Bulgarians， who at times

　　threatened to take Constantinople and extinguish the

　　（10） empire altogether. The wealth of the state and its

　　subjects was greatly diminished， and artistic and literary

　　production had virtually ceased. By the early eleventh

　　century， however， the empire had regained almost half of

　　its lost possessions， its new frontiers were secure， and its

　　（15） influence extended far beyond its borders. The economy

　　had recovered， the treasury was full， and art and scho-

　　larship had advanced.

　　To consider the Byzantine military， cultural， and

　　economic advances as differentiated aspects of a single

　　（20） phenomenon is reasonable. After all， these three forms

　　of progress have gone together in a number of states and

　　civilizations. Rome under Augustus and fifth-century

　　Athens provide the most obvious examples in antiquity.

　　Moreover， an examination of the apparent sequential

　　（25） connections among military， economic， and cultural

　　forms of progress might help explain the dynamics of

　　historical change.

　　The common explanation of these apparent conn-

　　ections in the case of Byzantium would run like this：

　　（30） when the empire had turned back enemy raids on its

　　own territory and had begun to raid and conquer enemy

　　territory， Byzantine resources naturally expanded and

　　more money became available to patronize art and lit-

　　erature. Therefore， Byzantine military achievements led to