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Introduction
doubtsaboutthetitle.Anencounter-notaclash.Ifweweretoseekthestarting
B
yzantiumandtheArabs.TeEncounterofCivilisations.Weneverhad
pointoftheByzantinehistoryinthereignofConstantinetheGreat-andthis
iswhatwearedoingintheŁódźcentreofByzantinestudies-thentheByzan-
tine-Arabrelations,examinedinalong,multi-centuryperspective,shallappear
tobeaverycomplexphenomenon,onefluctuatingbetweentwoextremepoles:
peacefulco-existenceandarmedhostileactions,presentingvaryingdegrees
ofthreattobothofthesides.Timesbetweenthefourthandthemid-seventh
centurywerethoseofanencounter:mutualcognizance,ofenmulti-faceted
infiltration-lingualorreligious,butalsopolitical,economicandadministra-
tive-ofthetwogreatculturalspheres:Graeco-RomanandOriental.Suchan
understandingoftheByzantine-Arabneighbourhoodiscertainlynotuniqueto
us.In2011,alargeconferencewasorganisedattheAristotleUniversityofTes-
saloniki;itwasdedicatedtoByzantine-Arabrelationsand,quitesignificantly,
itwasentitledByzantiumandtheArabs.EncounterofCivilisations.Tecorre-
lationbetweenthetitleoftheaforementionedscholarlymeeting(aswellasof
thetitleofitsresultantvolume)andthetitleofourbookisimpossibletomiss.
Admittedly,theTessalonikandebatesgaveusadirectimpulsetostudythere-
lationshipsbetweentheByzantineandArabworlds-somethingwedesiredto
doformanyyears.