The Church being singled out as a regulator of Public Life, gives a symbolic character to the architecture of the monumental Western Churches. Features of the period are castles that protect the cities, as are the famous Byzantine siege machines incorporating “Liquid Fire”. Pottery glazing (7th century), refined sugar and tsipouro (spirits) are introduced into daily life. The horizontal loom replaces the upright one. In the field of engineering, a Byzantine clock/calendar points at a continuity from antiquity, secured by the Arabs. Lastly, miraculous machines become part of applied technology. These are made to provoke the wonder of the Emperor’s guests.