Top 10 Reasons The Dark Ages Were Not Dark

[optionT]

I believe that we can safely say that the period of man’s history from 476 AD to 1000 AD is the most maligned of all. This period, known to historians as the Early Middle Ages, is still referred to by most laymen as the Dark Ages. In fact the term “dark ages” is almost as ancient as the period itself – it was coined in the 1330s by Petrarch, the Italian scholar, to refer to the decline of Latin literature. It was later taken by the protestant reformers (16th century) and then the members of the Englightenment (18th century) as a derogatory term with much broader implications, because they saw their own “enlightenment” as absent from the earlier period. Hardly a fair judgement on the past. Fortunately for modern students of history, the term is now officially known as the Early Middle Ages – a name which has no connotations at all. So, having given you the background on the terms, here are ten reasons that the dark ages were, in fact, a period of great progress and light.
10 Universities Are Born

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The Classical Education (still used today in some schools) was the system used by the Universities which were created in the Early Middle Ages (the first in history). The universities taught the arts, law, medicine, and theology (the study of religion). The University of Bologna (founded in 1088) was the first ever to grant degrees. In addition to the classical structure (based on Ancient Greek education), these medieval universities were heavily influenced by Islamic education which was thriving at the time. While women were not admitted to Universities in the early days, the education of women did exist. The convents of the day educated the young women who would often enter at a very young age. One such women (Hildegard Von Bingen) is one of the most celebrated women of the Medieval era who had great influence over the men in power at the time.
9 Scientific Foundations Laid

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While progress in Science was slow during this period in the West, the progress was steady and of a very high quality. The foundation was laid here for the wonderful blossoming of science that was to occur in the High Middle Ages to come. It can be safely said, that without the study of Science in the Early Middle Ages, we would be considerably behind in our scientific knowledge today. Ronald Numbers (professor at Cambridge University) has said: ‘Notions such as: “the rise of Christianity killed off ancient science”, “the medieval Christian Church suppressed the growth of the natural sciences”, “the medieval Christians thought that the world was flat”, and “the Church prohibited autopsies and dissections during the Middle Ages” [are] examples of widely popular myths that still pass as historical truth, even though they are not supported by historical research.’ [Source: Video or audio Lecture (http://www.st-edmunds.cam.ac.uk/faraday/CIS/Numbers/index.html)]
8 Carolingian Renaissance

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The Carolingian Renaissance was a period of advancements in literature, writing, the arts, architecture, jurisprudence, liturgical and scriptural studies which occurred in the late eighth and ninth centuries. The Carolingians were Franks and the most well known is Charlemagne. The Carolingian empire was considered a rebirth of the culture of the Roman Empire. At the time, Vulgar Latin was beginning to be replaced by various dialects as the main spoken languages in Europe, so the creation of schools was vital to spread knowledge further amongst the common people. It was also this period which gave us the foundation of Western Classical Music.
7 Byzantine Golden Age

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[BrewTech]

Also, beer (ale, or unhopped beer) was the drink of choice for the whole family, as the water was not generally safe to drink in most places.

Healthy people drank the ale and the beer.

[Shami-Amourae]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYMkl2H55Mw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-eAKnVGGBI

[Horn]

When history is written a few hundred years from now,

it will probably note that a return to the Dark Ages had taken place in 2008.

[brosil]

When history is written a few hundred years from now,

it will probably note that a return to the Dark Ages had taken place in 2008.
That's been an argument for a while. Most folks associate a dark age with a loss of technology. While it's true that large scale projects like aqueducts and sewers suffered, there was a lot of technological innovation. It's the breakdown of large scale government that I think heralds the dark age. For the U.S., I'd say that started in the 1950s.

[hoarder]

The word "Dark" implies not being able to see. Using that context, the Dark ages began with Jewish control of the press, progressed with the popularity of teevee and gradually ended with the popularity of the internet.

[StreetsOfGold]

It did not take more than 1 sentence to see a problem already.
The DARK ages STARTS with the beginning of the Roman Catholic church (Constantine) and ENDS with Martin Luther, in particular, when he nailed his 95 thesis to the Black Cloister (1517)

That is THE reason WHY the term DARK AGES came to be.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tMvcBukXL4

[singular_me]

and HOW did it end? Just a fake boom.

650 years ago: How Venice Rigged the First, and Worst, Global Financial Crash
The crash, which peaked in 1345 A.D....
http://members.tripod.com/~american_almanac/pbgbardi.htm


That's been an argument for a while. Most folks associate a dark age with a loss of technology. While it's true that large scale projects like aqueducts and sewers suffered, there was a lot of technological innovation. It's the breakdown of large scale government that I think heralds the dark age. For the U.S., I'd say that started in the 1950s.