Decline and fall...
....it's a bit of an outdated view to be honest. Gibbon was responsible for that view in the 18th Century. The fall of the Western Empire didn't happen in the East - there the Roman Empire survived for another 1000 years and only fell when the Turks used cannon balls the size of small cars to crack their walls. When that happened the refugees ended up in Italy and kick-started the Renaissance.

A lot of the knowledge gained in Antiquity was learned and expanded upon by the Arabs - hence their expertise in medicine, astronomy, maths, etc.

Even in western Europe the `Dark Ages' weren't that dark - there are more documents from that period than the Classic Age.
(Audax Victor, Sat 16 Jun 2012, 19:44, 1 reply)

Oh look it's Mary Beards boyfriend

( Light In Chains maker of the ikea sofa, Sat 16 Jun 2012, 22:23, closed)

Marys a gay,
It's Mary's beard.
( rjmrjm, Sun 17 Jun 2012, 14:33, closed)