Were the Dark Ages Really that Dark? History Essay (Essay Sample)

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History and Anthropology: Were the Dark Ages Really that Dark?
The Dark Ages is a term that has undergone several transformations regarding its meaning. Due to its pejorative connotations, modern historians typically use terms such as the Migration Period to refer to the period of time that antedated the collapse of the Roman Empire in 476 A.D. It began with the movement of barbarian tribes especially, the Huns, Vandals, Goths, Bulgars, Vikings, and more. As some studies have suggested, it was the age of medieval barbarism when, “there was no Roman (or Holy Roman) emperor in the West or, more generally, the period between about 500 and 1000, which was marked by frequent warfare and a virtual disappearance of urban life.” (“Migration Period”). Although many people would want to argue that the “Dark Ages” is a period defined by downright ignorance, more research has proved the contrary.