去年，我參加了一場網上有關「拜占廷是否阻礙了義大利建國」的討論，我指出拜占廷在義大利是防止了伊斯蘭進據該半島。
上圖顯示700前後拜占廷仍持有直布羅陀，圖是800前後穆斯林已經征服了伊比利亞但拜占廷仍在拱衛義大利的週邊。史學的分工過細以及拜占廷是羅馬的「頹廢」後續的偏見使大家忽視了這一點。去年的討論闡明了我在《新世界史》第2卷第23章中拜占廷“緊縮為一邦仍須負擔‘帝國’防務”的命題。
Last year, in an online discussion of the role Byzantium played in the “obstruction” of state-formation in Italy, I pointed out that it was due to the Byzantine presence in Italy that Islam was not able to take over Italy. The map on the left shows that around 700 CE Byzantium was still in control of the Gibraltor, whereas on the map of 800 CE on the right the Muslims have conquered Iberia but Byzantium is still defending the outer perimeters of Italy. The compartmentalization of historical studies and the bias that Byzantium was a “decadent” sequel of Rome have let to this oversight. Last year’s discussion has thrown light on my thesis of Byzantium “the shrunken state still carrying the imperial burden” in chapter 23 of volume 2 of《A New History of the World》.