The Dark Ages in (400-800 CE) was basically a time when the population of people was decreasing as well as having small amounts of literature and arts. “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.” (3) When the Roman Empire went down, several people just scattered around the land and brought in new languages, which caused much of their chaos. Fights broke out everywhere and the death toll kept rising, totaling to about ½ of the entire population of Europe. It was a very steady decline that lasted over a few hundred years. During the Romanesque Age, cultural
The term “dark” was later generated due the backward ways and practices that seemed to succeed during this time. The Dark Age was definitely a time of religious conflict. Despite the conflict, the men and women still believed in a God, however some sought through Orthodox forms of worship and others through rituals at a Catholic church. An Italian scholar by the name of Francesco Petrarca, also known as, Petrarch found that the use of Latin Literature was wrong. The pressure of the “barbarians” was a huge additive to the crashing of the empire, due to all of the changes and incoming people with different languages and religious beliefs. Other individuals also collaborated on the thought of it and were very frustrated with the lack of literature and other cultural achievements. It didn’t take long for the term “dark ages” to stop being used. Germanic aesthetics, which were also known as “barbarian styles” were big during this time and shown through visual arts, illuminated manuscripts, and sculptures. Celtic metalwork and stone sculpture were a tradition of art that could not be destroyed in the “dark ages”. The Celtic structure had traditional craftsmanship and great carving skills, in which the “Celtic weapons art” was a huge achievement of the Irish art. The Black Death is what sent the middle ages back into a chaos. The “Black Death” was known as a disease that was very
“The term Gothic was coined by classicizing Italian writers of the Renaissance, who attributed the invention (and what to them was the non-classical ugliness) of medieval architecture to the barbarian Gothic tribes that had destroyed the Roman Empire and its classical culture in the 5th century Ad.” (2) The gothic art has really evolved around the Romanesque art. “The Gothic style only became possible with the utter mastery of stone engineering, in which the weight of a vaulted roof was precisely guided through networks of arches, piers, and buttresses.”(4) The architecture was very important during the gothic period and it arose out of the medieval masons. The main issue they ran into was the collapsing of the stonework, because of the heaviness and pressure causing it to fall. The support walls of any building were to be made very thick in order to keep it from thrusting outward. During this time, the ribbed vault was developed which had an intersecting and arching stone ribs that were being supported by vaulted ceilings and stone panels. The art and architecture were produced in a very wealthy area, allowing the artist to sell their work and make a very nice profit. Several types of buildings were constructed during the gothic time. Their artwork was very popular in churches, as well as chapels and cathedrals, which allowed them
The Middle Ages, or the collapse of the Western Roman Empire that lasted from the 5th to 15th century, should be called The Dark Ages. While others might disagree and call it the Age Of Religion, or The Age Of Enlightenment, the Dark Ages name fits because of its problematic and dark history. Barbarian Invasions, The Black Death, and The Crusades are also reasons why this period of time should be called The Dark Ages.
The Dark ages is the time between the 500’s and 1400’s. The Dark ages was a time of civil wars, Death, diseases, invasions and thief. There was a lot of invasions and to protect them self from that communities made a code call The code of Chivalry as (Doc 5) states “Europe in the Middle Ages was a dangerous place. Invasions from Muslims, Mongols, Vikings, and other tribal groups were common. War between lords was also common. The value of protection and warriors created a social code called Chivalry. Knights fought for lords and ladies, and lived by a gentleman- warrior code of Chivalry.” And other big thing in The Dark Ages was Diseases. Diseases in the dark ages was deadly because there was not antidote and even Doctors were scared of
...sical Age is hailed as a time of great cross-cultural interaction, yet it also unintentionally brought deadly diseases to places that might have never encountered them otherwise, causing millions of deaths. People traded goods and beliefs along with bacteria. Revolutionary ideas spread like wildfire, but they also undermined the empires that maintained stability and prosperity. Christianity promised salvation, but helped bring down Rome, paving the way for the Dark Ages. In the Classical Age, the factors that bring powerful civilizations down are heavily entwined with the things that make them great.
Rome and the Statue of Liberty in New York are all proof of the extraordinary celebrated artwork human kind has been able to do throughout several years. Now, I want to discuss another celebrated work of art that was quite popular in the medieval period, Gothic architecture. During the medieval period Gothic architecture was considered to be luxurious because of its exaggerated height given to buildings. Not only did it give height, it also had plenty of other characteristics like the pointed arch, the vaulted ceiling, and of course, plenty of windows where light could pass right through. For statesman historian, Abbot Suger, light was important. He believed light was a connection from heaven to Earth. The more light, the better. It was because of Abbot Suger that the admired Gothic style began along with more of his art program from about 1125-1144 (Inventing the Exegetical Stained-Glass Window: Suger, Hugh, and a New Elite Art, par 1). However, not everyone agreed with this extravagant style. When Gothic cathedrals began being built, French abbot, Bernard de Clairvaux made a judgment of his own. He explained that he did not see the need to be so extravagant when the money going to those glittering churches can go to a better use, the poor. I agree with Bernard; there is no need to be stylish when adorning cathedrals if there are better uses for that money.
The time period of 500AD to 1500AD was a period of decline for Europe also called the 'dark age". Document B states," Europe suffered a decline in trade and manufacturing, in education, in literature and the arts, and in almost all that makes it possible to have a successful civilization". Europe was at a very unstable and chaotic time. Another reason why it was a "dark age" was the Black Death. The Black Death started at 1346 and ended at 1353(Timeline).
One important reason that the “Dark” Ages weren't dark was that people invented many new technologies. According to Document B, the heavy plow, metal horseshoes, windmills, the shoulder collar for horses, and more efficient water system were all invented during these times. These are all vital inventions, and without them humans would have progressed much more slowly. These inventions also led to a “jump in food supply”, causing the population to triple. “Between 500 and 1300 the population grew from 25 million to more than 70 million.” Usually when population increases
The principle behind the Gothic style was to reach greater interior heights. However, “medieval churches had solid stone vaults (the structure that supports the ceiling or roof). These were extremely heavy structures and tended to push the walls outward, which could lead to the collapse of the building. In turn, walls had to be heavy and thick enough to bear the weight of the stone vaults,” (“Gothic Art and Architecture”). Thus, the taller buildings such a churches would be more expensive to build and look bulky and ungainly, which doesn’t quite fit the style the clergy were aiming for. In response to this problem, master masons of the medieval period developed the iconic ribbed vault. This newly developed ribbed vault had several interesting characteristics. A ribbed vault was the conjunction of two or more barrel vaults. The vault itself was a collection of stone ribs traversing the vaulted ceiling and transporting the weight onto the ribs themselves. Also, instead of the traditional round arches, pointed arches were used. This gave the ceiling of Gothic buildings a light and more versatile look (Martindale). Not only did these ribbed vaults bring a (somewhat) unique look to cathedrals, they also served an incredibly vital part in the architectural design of Gothic structures. The Gothic structures’ “new arrangement significantly reduced the weight (and thus the outward thrust) of the ceiling vault,” which reduced the constant danger of collapse and cracking for the thick Romanesque walls when they tried to reach taller heights (“Gothic Architecture”). The ribs also “transmitted [weight] along a distinct stone rib, rather than along a continuous wall edge, and could be channeled from the rib to other supports, such as vertical piers or flying buttresses, which eliminated the need for solid, thick walls,” (“Gothic
The Dark Ages got its name because little was known about the time before The Renaissance. Historians today only call it Dark Ages because information about it is still very limited. During 1883, the American Cyclopedia called the Dark Ages a time where everyone was intellectual and barbaric. In fact, they considered the people during the time to have the worst “intellectual depression” in European history. It represents how they originally thought the Dark Ages were like instead of the new meaning. Modern studies have now shown that there was a lot going on in the Arts and literature.
During the period after the fall of the Roman Empire in the West, Europe experienced a time known as the Dark Ages. During this time period, much of the knowledge that had been learned was lost. Political control was transferred to barbaric invaders, such as the Goths, Vandals, and Huns. These groups destroyed many buildings and artworks that had existed during the time of the Roman Empire. Most people were illiterate, and much of the previously learned knowledge was lost (“Dark Ages”). However, arts and knowledge still flourished in the East.
Rome fell in 476 AD, the subsequent 1000 years made up a period of time called the Middle Ages. The Middle Ages are often referred to as the Dark Ages because of the way of life in Europe during that age. William Manchester suggests that this time period was actually a dark age, in his A World Lit Only By Fire. Manchester describes the ‘Dark Ages’ as a “mélange of incessant warfare, corruption, lawlessness, obsession with strange myths, and an almost impenetrable mindlessness”. He also states how famines and plague repetitively thinned the population, and that “rickets afflicted the survivors”.
The Gothic style evolved from that of Romanesque, building on concepts and ideas that led to the creation of larger and grander structures. Today, mankind looks in awe at the structures that were built hundreds of years ago without the assistance of modern technology and equipment. These architectural styles are indisputably different, but equally profound. They made use of differing techniques to become tangible structures that can still be seen
The Medieval Times for Europe, from the 400 AD till 1400 AD, are often labeled as “The Dark Ages”. This time period has begun after a turning point known as Fall of Rome. It caused Rome to divide into two well-known civilizations: Medieval Europe, Islam, and The Byzantine Empire. Also, Medieval Europe led to a well known utopian period of “rebirth” identified as the Renaissance. The time period between 400 CE and 1400 CE wasn’t a “Dark Age” for Europe because of progress in academic success, blossom in architecture, and religious unity along with government. It wasn’t a cultural decay or decline because of the legendary time period it led to.
People in the Dark Ages were engulfed in the shadow of greatness of their predecessors, which 18th-century English historian Edward Gibbon called “barbarism and religion,” (History). Life in Europe during the Dark Ages were quite simple, as there was no efforts in unifying Europe, and the Catholic church was the only real body of power in Europe at this time. European societies were governed by feudalism, in which the king gives land to the nobles, while peasants worked on the land to live there in return. Little is actually known about this era, in that nothing significant was recorded, announcing it a “dark’ era. There was little to nothing significant about this time period in Europe, other than strong Catholic authority. A shift begins during this time period
In the year 476 A.D., Rome officially fell as the greatest and most thriving empire at the time. The time period following this downfall was called the Middle Ages, more infamously recalled as the Dark Ages; but were these years truly as dark as historians say? These medieval times lasted for approximately one thousand years, could such a long time period have been all that dreadful? The answer will soon become clear. The Middle Ages deserved to have the alias of the Dark Ages because there were several severe illnesses, the monarchs were cruel, and the crusades brought the death of many.
The Dark Ages were a hard period in Europe that was marked by major events such as the agreement of the Magna Carta and the rise of universities that impacted during strongly and positively this time in history.