added the abuses and corruptions prevailing at that time in the empire. Heavy tributes and religious dissension produced disorder and confusion. Furthermore, the ecumenical councils of the 5th and 6th centuries were unsuccessful in settling religious disagreements. This turbulent period weakened the empire and made it easy prey to the newly converted Muslim Arabs of the Arabian Peninsula that invaded the region in 642 AD. See also Laurence Waddell Frederick Haberman References This article is based on public-domain text from the Lebanon Country Study (1987) of the Library of Congress Country Studies project; specifically from Chapter 1: Historical Setting, by Afaf Sabeh McGowen. External links Tracing our ancestors by Frederick Haberman (Author) Full text of "Tracing Our Ancestors" Web of the Illuminati by Kevin Tucker (Author) Ancient Lebanon History of Lebanon History of Lebanon by period History of Lebanon by topic