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.
Some scholars challenge the idea that the Byzantine Empire held absolute dominance, arguing that cultural exchange was complex and multi-faceted. They contend that the perception of Constantinople as a superior center and peripheral regions simply imitating it is an oversimplification.