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| | Medieval, Renaissance, Reformation: Western Civilization, Act II |
 | | It was, without any doubt, the continuation of the Roman state, and until the seventh century, preserved the basic structures of Late Roman Mediterranean civic culture: - a large multi-ethnic Christian state, based on a network of urban centers, and defended by a mobile specialized army. |
 | | As the centrally located culture, and by far the most stable state, of the Medieval period, Byzantium is of major interest both in itself, and because the development and late history of Western European, Slavic and Islamic cultures are not comprehensible without taking it into consideration. |
 | | Local leaders control political decisions, command the military power, have the controlling economic power and even dominate in the cultural realm. |
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