Were the dark ages really 'dark ages'?

The centuries following the fall of the Roman Empire in 476 A.D. are often referred to as the Dark Ages—but were they really? read more

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. read more

The Dark Ages consist of the 5th to 8th centuries, not the whole Middle Ages. The Dark Ages were the “Wild West Era” of Europe. They were marked by anarchy, lack of central power, rugged individualism and mass migrations. read more

Here is an example of early(ish) medieval handwriting: This is the handwriting created in the “Carolingian renaissance” (gotta put scare quotes around “renaissance”), a period when many ancient manuscripts were preserved. read more