Were the Dark Ages Really so Dark
Bishops | The World Around The 1600’s | Essay Topic: Were The Dark Ages Really So Dark? | | Aidan Bizony | 29-Jan-13 |
Were the dark ages really so dark?
It was first used when people began to see a contrast between the brilliance of Europe during the time of Roman Empire, the “light” period, and the sudden deterioration during the centuries after the collapse of Rome. Throughout the time of Roman occupation in Europe, the European economy and culture were thriving. However, when the Empire collapsed in the first millennium AD, Roman influence throughout Europe began to dwindle considerably. The rapid drop in development of Roman ideology was not only limited to their economy, the various fields of science (e.g. mathematics & medicine) that the Romans tinkered with was also affected.
The Dark Ages lasted for about nine centuries (600-1500AD). For the first half of this era there was a steady decline within Europe in terms of the sciences and philosophical writings, However, I believe that the apex of this all-time low in Europe was the Black Death (also known as the Black Plague.
The Black Death was caused by a bacterium (Yersinia pestis) that was carried in fleas that travelled to Europe on the backs of rats that snuck aboard international trade ships around 1347. The Black Death quickly spread from various port-cities in the south of Europe throughout all of Europe. Eventually the Black Death would wipe out a third of the European population before the devastation of this bacterium is almost extinguished about a century after the plague first hit the shores of Europe. The Black Death or Black Plague is, for me, one of the most defining characteristics of the Dark Ages.
However, the Black Death did have some rather interesting things come out of it. For instance, I know that the connotation of calling bad doctors “Quacks” comes from the Black Death as doctors during the Dark Ages thought that the Black Death spread through touch and covered
Were the dark ages really so dark?
It was first used when people began to see a contrast between the brilliance of Europe during the time of Roman Empire, the “light” period, and the sudden deterioration during the centuries after the collapse of Rome. Throughout the time of Roman occupation in Europe, the European economy and culture were thriving. However, when the Empire collapsed in the first millennium AD, Roman influence throughout Europe began to dwindle considerably. The rapid drop in development of Roman ideology was not only limited to their economy, the various fields of science (e.g. mathematics & medicine) that the Romans tinkered with was also affected.
The Dark Ages lasted for about nine centuries (600-1500AD). For the first half of this era there was a steady decline within Europe in terms of the sciences and philosophical writings, However, I believe that the apex of this all-time low in Europe was the Black Death (also known as the Black Plague.
The Black Death was caused by a bacterium (Yersinia pestis) that was carried in fleas that travelled to Europe on the backs of rats that snuck aboard international trade ships around 1347. The Black Death quickly spread from various port-cities in the south of Europe throughout all of Europe. Eventually the Black Death would wipe out a third of the European population before the devastation of this bacterium is almost extinguished about a century after the plague first hit the shores of Europe. The Black Death or Black Plague is, for me, one of the most defining characteristics of the Dark Ages.
However, the Black Death did have some rather interesting things come out of it. For instance, I know that the connotation of calling bad doctors “Quacks” comes from the Black Death as doctors during the Dark Ages thought that the Black Death spread through touch and covered