Is a lot of what we assume about the "Dark Ages" incorrect?

[smiling_bandit]

@Ellen_Cherry

Seems I remember reading somewhere that the dark ages were, in some years, literally dark. Overcast, cloudy and unusually rainy. Am I way off base here?

Uhhhh… yeah, you are.

Look, if you want to take a 1000-year long era, then alright some years had high rainfall and cloud cover in some areas. But no, the Dark Ages were not horribly covered over with evil clouds blocking out the light.

[Mr.Excellent]

@mr.jp

In the renaissance, Columbus discovered America, Copernicus made his somewhat silly heliocentric system and the clitoris was discovered.

Eh? IANAW (I Am Not A Woman), but I expect that women should have well, noticed that last item very, very early in the history of homo sapiens.

[CC]

According to the truly wondrous short film from 1970, Why Man Creates, among the discoveries of the Middle Ages/Dark Ages was the concept of zero.

http://www.pyramidmedia.com/item.php3?title_id=1312

(click on Watch a clip)

[Sleel]

The concept of zero was old news to the Middle East, since the Egyptians and Babylonians had been using it since around 2000 BCE. The ancient Greeks had some familiarity with it and used it in mathematics. The Arabic number system was introduced to Europe via India, along with the Indian refinement of a symbol for zero, in the 11th or 12th century CE.

This is one of the few areas where the idea of a “dark age” is actually partially accurate. Europe was a backwater for mathematics after the Greeks. Roman mathematics, from what I know of it, was focused more on engineering problems than theoretical developments. I doubt that the concept of zero was ever entirely forgotten, and while mathematics was stagnant, the ideas weren’t all lost. Obviously, the math needed for engineering didn’t decline much, if at all. There are tons of impressive castles, cathedrals, and other projects that needed decent math to build successfully.

Translations of Greek philosophical works, including those on mathematics, were influential in Church logic and philosophy, and work in logical thinking did progress during the medieval era, including the development of the basic ideas that would later become the scientific method. The introduction of Arabic numbers and other mathematic concepts from the Middle East kickstarted some interesting stuff, including refinements of existing systems of navigation that led to the later age of exploration.

[Sleel]

@Great_Dave

For good pop history, I’d go with James Burke. It’s been a while, but I taped and rewatched Connections and the Day the Universe Changed several times as a pre-teen. While not strictly about the Middle Ages, he looks back at the history of important technologies, and the earlier technologies that were used to make these innovations, starting in modern times, and often winding up in Classical times. A great deal, though, was spent in the period between 700-1700. At least in my memory. Now I’ll have to rent it.

There’s also a book by him titled Connections. I’ve never seen the series, but I have read the book. Quite interesting, though obviously since he’s trying to show broad ideas there are a few places where I wish there was a bit more depth. He’s got a decent bibliography and notes for follow-up reading, though. I also think he discounts the influence and contributions of individuals in his focus upon social networks and the gradual refinements of existing technology.