Do you believe in "The Dark Ages"?

Question

I'm interested in many people's impression of the history of the interaction of the Church and the West.
DON'T TELL ME TO LOOK AT WIKIPEDIA! I WANT TO KNOW YOUR ASSUMPTIONS.
If you believe there were "Dark Ages",
When were they?
In what places?
Why do we call them "dark"?
What caused them?
What came before and after?

Answer 1

The Dark ages are a part of history
the meaning of dark and the exact length of time are disputable (most consider them to be the age after the fall of Rome). This was a time of redefining society caused by the fall of the society and social structure provided by the Roman Empire. This history site may help with your question - The Dark Ages – Defining the Darkness
The Dark Ages as a term has undergone many evolutions; its definition depends on who is defining it. Indeed, modern historians no longer use the term because of its negative connotation. Generally, the Dark Ages referred to the period of time ushered in by the fall of the Western Roman Empire. This took place when the last Western emperor, Romulus Augustulus, was deposed by Odoacer, a barbarian. AD 476 was the time of this event.

Initially, this era took on the term “dark” by later onlookers; this was due to the backward ways and practices that seemed to prevail during this time. Future historians used the term “dark” simply to denote the fact that little was known about this period; there was a paucity of written history. Recent discoveries have apparently altered this perception as many new facts about this time have been uncovered.

The Italian Scholar, Francesco Petrarca called Petrarch, was the first to coin the phrase. He used it to denounce Latin literature of that time; others expanded on this idea to express frustration with the lack of Latin literature during this time or other cultural achievements. While the term dark ages is no longer widely used, it may best be described as Early Middle Ages -- the period following the decline of Rome in the Western World. The Middle Ages is loosely considered to extend from 400 to 1000 AD.

Answer 2

There was a Dark Age, not it was from around the fall of the Roman empire (AD 476) till around the year 1000. It was a intellectually backward period of history, where the church ruled over reason. The cities of the Empire dissolved and Europe became a rural agricultural society. The reaches of the Dark ages were across western Europe. They were caused by the inability of the Germans to continue the Roman system of Government. Since no one was in control the church and its bishops became leaders of community.

Answer 3

Its the early middle ages, just after the fall of Rome. It means that our knowledge of what was actually going on in those times is vague. The barbarian invasions of Europe upset the status quo and threw the entire continent into turmoil, leading to an age of heroes that were celebrated in song or oral verse, but rarely written down. Beowulf and the Arthurian tales are examples from that time (both recorded later and sanitised for a Christian audience).
In England, specifically, there is a 200 year gap in reliable information when the Anglo-Saxons invaded until their emergence with settled Kingdoms with Augustine arriving in 597 AD to convert the English. Once monasteries were set up written records were started again, leading to St. Bede's history of the English.
Another take on the Dark Ages is that the light of learning was extinguished with the death of classical antiquity.
It's generally taken to have lasted until 1000AD when the last of the Viking raids died down, or the last of the barbarian invasions if you like.
This was a purely European thing, in the Middle East, the Eastern Roman Empire continued to 1453 and we have full documentation of events there, and classical culture survived to be passed back to the Europeans to kick start the renaissence.

Answer 4

# Yes there were 'Dark Ages'

# 400 AD to around 1000 AD.

# Western Europe

# Because the knowledge of the Roman Empire was lost, very few people could write, nobody kept records and so we don't know much about them.

# The fall of the Roman Empire

# The Roman Empire -Dark Ages-Middle Ages-Renaissance

Answer 5

When you are done disputing the "Dark Ages" of famine and plague and constant meaningless wars between the fall of Rome (good roads, running water, some legal protection for citizens, literature and art etc.) and the renaissance (sceintific endeavor, a return of art, an end to the black plague etc.) perhaps you can tackle that pesky theory the Earth is not the center of the universe?

Answer 6

In addition to the dark ages in history already accounted for here (example, the burning of the vast library in Alexandria by the RCC) I would add that dark ages include times, past and present, when people are frantically looking for spiritual truth but cannot find answers. They cannot find answers because truth has been so obfuscated by people of great influence and perhaps good intentions but vast ignorance, or by corrupt people of great cunning and influence. Dark ages can also be times of great confusion when vast amounts of information are available, but folks are too lazy, too busy, too smugly confident, too afraid, too whatever, to take the time to investigate reality both physical and spiritual. Perhaps, this has a familiar feel today?

Answer 7

The fall of Rome plunged the world into the "Dark Ages". The Renaissance pulled us out. When Rome fell the world lost science, history, culture, education, and alot more. Libraries and technology was destroyed and people basically resorted back to barbarianism and confusion. People became "in-the-dark" about alot of things. Hence the term "Dark Ages".

Answer 8

Dark Ages = Church and State by the Bible

Enlightenment = Seperation of Church and State.
.

Answer 9

Heck, we are going back to the dark ages.Allot of young earth Christians,even moderate Christians fighting science at every turn,allowing 2000 year old books dictate our laws.stagnation is good, progress bad. Many vote for a politician's morals but don't give a damn about what he will do for the country.The U.S. is falling behind and religion is a big part of the problem.

Answer 10

A period in European history after the fall of the Roman empire where writing and economic activity was rare, and most power was held by petty feudal lords. Most science and literature in the west was held by Muslims.