sentences:  There are scholars, however, who criticize this conceptualization, disputing the notion of an unchallenged superiority of the Byzantine empire.It is argued that the complex and multi-faceted dynamics of documented cultural exchange was not aligned with the theory that Constantinople was the superior core while those in periphery understood their marginal position and merely imitated their superiors.Instead of Byzantine Commonwealth, historian Christian Raffensperger, proposed that it be recast as the "Byzantine ideal".