Achievements of the Byzantines

Ah yes, the table fork. Without it we would still be eating with our hands like those Middle Easterners who are forced to eat with one hand and wipe their asses with the other. Originally it was introduced to Italy, Florence in particular, and spread from there to the French court with the marriage of Catherine de Medici into French royalty, from where it spread to the rest of Europe like many courtly fads from France.

Byzantines were the only civilised nation of Christian Europe for centuries. While fighting endless enemies, that's an hell of an achievement.