Literature of the Dark Ages

In historiography, the term Dark Ages or Dark Age most commonly refers to the European Early Middle Ages, the period encompassing (roughly) 476 to 1000. This concept of " Dark Age " was created by the Italian scholar Francesco Petrarch and Was originally intended as sweeping criticism of the character of Late Latin Literature. Later historians expanded the term to include not only the lack of Latin literature, but a lack of  contemporary written history and material cultural achievements in general. Popular culture has further expanded on the term as a vehicle to depict the middle ages as a time of backwardness, extending its pejorative use and expanding its scope. The rise of archaeology and other specialties in the 20^th century has shed much light on the period and offered a more nuanced understanding of its positive developments. Other terms of periodization have come to the fore: Late Antiquity, the Early Middle Ages and the Great Migrations, depending on which aspects of culture are being emphasized.

Most modern historians dismiss the notion that the era was a "Dark Age" by pointing out that this idea was based on ignorance of the period combined with popular stereotypes, many previous authors would simply assume that the era was a dismal time of violence and stagnation and use this assumption to prove itself. The term is now widely considered to be pejorative.

In Britain and the United States, the phrase "Dark Ages" has occasionally been used by professionals, with severe qualifications, as a term of periodization. This usage is intended as non-judgmental and simply means the relative lack of written record, " silent " as much as " Dark "

abuiyad