The great majority of extant decorated artifacts from the Middle Period of the Byzantine Empire are objects that were designed for ecclesiastical use. But even those decorated artifacts with no apparent ecclesiastical function are almost all decorated with religious scenes and symbols. This material evidence strongly indicates that in the Middle Period of the Byzantine Empire, there was little scope for artisans to create decorative works of an entirely secular nature.
Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the argument?
A. Since Byzantine monasteries tended to be centers of learning, even those extant manuscripts from the Middle Period of the Byzantine Empire that discuss purely secular subjects were produced by monks living in religious communities.
B. Unlike objects stored in private houses and palace treasuries, objects stored in Byzantine ecclesiastical treasuries were generally treated with reverence by invaders over the centuries.
C. Textiles of the Middle Period of the Byzantine Empire that were decorated with religious motifs were as likely to be used for the decoration of private houses as they were to be used for the decoration of religious sanctuaries.
D. Nearly all of the extant artifacts of the Middle Period of the Byzantine Empire that were not decorated were artifacts with no apparent ecclesiastical function.
E. Some of the most richly adorned of the extant Middle Period Byzantine objects decorated with religious motifs were artifacts with no apparent ecclesiastical function.