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Choppy: Want to write an essay for my site? Cause and effect of the Dark Ages, or something like that? http://www.dougriddle.com/framesetessay.html Chopin Cusachs <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: There wasn't a clamping down on research because in the generations before the collapse of the Roman Empire in the West there wasn't any organized support or control of research. Those wealthy enough to afford it and inclined so to do did it, such as was done. The Church wasn't powerful enough to exercise effective control until much later. On the contrary, what survived of culture survived largely in the monasteries. The barbarian destruction of most of the infrastructure of the old Empire eliminated the educational system, too. For a glimpse of what life was like then, read the History of the Franks, by Gregory Bishop of Tours, 540-594, a churchman who was proud that he could read and write basic Latin, unlike most people of his time. It wasn't that anybody had a campaign against knowledge, but the destruction of the economy of the Empire left few resources for transmitting information and teaching literacy until after St. Benedict got monasticism going about the middle of the 6th century. If you read the history of the Byzantine Empire you get a glimpse of how difficult conditions were there, too. It may be taken as a joke about the Irish saving civilization in the West, but there is a great grain of truth of the Irish monks re-evangelizing Western Europe after the barbarian conquest and reviving literacy, at least among the clergy. Clerk, the word, is derived from cleric, was one who could be presumed to read and write. The collapse of the Western Empire was touched off by the freezing over of the Rhine, previously adequately defended by available troops, letting a massive barbarian horde cross over, exterminating the defenders. The Rhine had not frozen over so solidly in classical times. Why many textbooks are more into axe grinding than fact is another question. Choppy At 09:56 AM 12/31/02 -0600, you wrote: >At 06:18 PM 12/30/2002 -0800, you wrote: >>Mat: >> >>Just a note about your tag. The dark ages were dark due to a lack of >>light. There are several proposed reasons for the long winters and >>dark skies, but the evidence is very firm, the dark ages were dark, >>cold, and damp in Europe. > >I believe that was one reason for the labeling of the Dark Ages. The >other, and the one I learned (and now I know two!), is the loss of >knowledge after the fall of the Roman Empire, and the subsequent clamping >down on research and ideas that did not benefit the Church. Is this >incorrect? I have seen this as the stated reason many times in various >texts. Ask your wife, I'm curious. > > >--- >Dustin Puryear >Puryear Information Technology >Windows, UNIX, and IT Consulting >http://www.puryear-it.com > > > >_______________________________________________ >General mailing list >[email protected] >http://oxygen.nocdirect.com/mailman/listinfo/general_brlug.net _______________________________________________ General mailing list [email protected] http://oxygen.nocdirect.com/mailman/listinfo/general_brlug.net Warmest Regards, Doug Riddle http://www.dougriddle.com http://fossile-project.sourceforge.net/ http://www.libranet.com -- "Firearms are second only to the Constitution in importance; they are the Peoples' Liberty Teeth." - George Washington -- --------------------------------- Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail Plus - Powerful. Affordable. Sign up now --0-986748247-1041529849=:21858 Content-Type: text/html; charset=us-ascii <P>Choppy: <P>Want to write an essay for my site? Cause and effect of the Dark Ages, or something like that? <P><A href="http://www.dougriddle.com/framesetessay.html";>http://www.dougriddle.com/framesetessay.html</A> <P> <B><I>Chopin Cusachs <[EMAIL PROTECTED]></I></B> wrote: <BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #1010ff 2px solid"><BR>There wasn't a clamping down on research because in the generations before the<BR>collapse of the Roman Empire in the West there wasn't any organized support or<BR>control of research. Those wealthy enough to afford it and inclined so to <BR>do did it,<BR>such as was done. The Church wasn't powerful enough to exercise effective<BR>control until much later. On the contrary, what survived of culture <BR>survived largely<BR>in the monasteries. The barbarian destruction of most of the <BR>infrastructure of the<BR>old Empire eliminated the educational system, too.<BR><BR>For a glimpse of what life was like then, read the History of the Franks, <BR>by Gregory<BR>Bishop of Tours, 540-594, a churchman who was proud that he could read and <BR>write<BR>basic Latin, unlike most people of his time. It wasn't that anybody had <BR>a campaign<BR>against knowledge, but the destruction of the economy of the Empire left few<BR>resources for transmitting information and teaching literacy until after <BR>St. Benedict<BR>got monasticism going about the middle of the 6th century. If you read <BR>the history<BR>of the Byzantine Empire you get a glimpse of how difficult conditions were <BR>there, too.<BR><BR>It may be taken as a joke about the Irish saving civilization in the West, <BR>but there<BR>is a great grain of truth of the Irish monks re-evangelizing Western Europe <BR>after the<BR>barbarian conquest and reviving literacy, at least among the <BR>clergy. Clerk, the word,<BR>is derived from cleric, was one who could be presumed to read and write.<BR><BR>The collapse of the Western Empire was touched off by the freezing over of the<BR>Rhine, previously adequately defended by available troops, letting a massive<BR>barbarian horde cross over, exterminating the defenders. The Rhine had not<BR>frozen over so solidly in classical times.<BR><BR>Why many textbooks are more into axe grinding than fact is another question.<BR><BR>Choppy<BR><BR><BR>At 09:56 AM 12/31/02 -0600, you wrote:<BR><BR>>At 06:18 PM 12/30/2002 -0800, you wrote:<BR>>>Mat:<BR>>><BR>>>Just a note about your tag. The dark ages were dark due to a lack of<BR>>>light. There are several proposed reasons for the long winters and<BR>>>dark skies, but the evidence is very firm, the dark ages were dark,<BR>>>cold, and damp in Europe.<BR>><BR>>I believe that was one reason for the labeling of the Dark Ages. The <BR>>other, and the one I learned (and now I know two!), is the loss of <BR>>knowledge after the fall of the Roman Empire, and the subsequent clamping <BR>>down on research and ideas that did not benefit the Church. Is this <BR>>incorrect? I have seen this as the stated reason many times in various <BR>>texts. Ask your wife, I'm curious.<BR>><BR>><BR>>---<BR>>Dustin Puryear <[EMAIL PROTECTED]><BR>>Puryear Information Technology<BR>>Windows, UNIX, and IT Consulting<BR>>http://www.puryear-it.com<BR>><BR>><BR>><BR>>_______________________________________________<BR>>General mailing list<BR>>[email protected]<BR>>http://oxygen.nocdirect.com/mailman/listinfo/general_brlug.net<BR><BR><BR>_______________________________________________<BR>General mailing list<BR>[email protected]<BR>http://oxygen.nocdirect.com/mailman/listinfo/general_brlug.net</BLOCKQUOTE><BR><BR>Warmest Regards,<BR><BR>Doug Riddle<BR> http://www.dougriddle.com<BR>http://fossile-project.sourceforge.net/<BR> http://www.libranet.com<br> -- "Firearms are second only to the Constitution in importance; they are the Peoples' Liberty Teeth." - George Washington --<BR><p><br><hr size=1>Do you Yahoo!?<br> <a href="http://rd.yahoo.com/mail/mailsig/*http://mailplus.yahoo.com";>Yahoo! Mail Plus</a> - Powerful. Affordable. <a href="http://rd.yahoo.com/mail/mailsig/*http://mailplus.yahoo.com";>Sign up now</a> --0-986748247-1041529849=:21858--
