11.9 Monday
The Dark Ages
Do Now - Level 0
DIRECTIONS
DEFINITION
1. Rewrite the definition in your own words.
a. Consider the following:
i.
What is an intellectual depression?
ii. What does “Barbarian supremacy”
mean?
The Dark Ages (noun),
A term applied to the period of intellectual
depression in the history of Europe, beginning
with the establishment of Barbarian supremacy
in the 5th century (400 CE) to the beginning of
the 15th century (1400 AD).
2. How long did the Dark Ages last,
according to this document?
3. Do you believe this statement? Why or
why not?
Adapted from The American Cyclopaedia: A
Popular Dictionary of General Knowledge, 1883
Homework
1. Complete Round 3 of DBQ
a.
Read & annotate Documents E and F
b.
Answer guiding questions
c.
Write 3rd claim
1. Take notes on the Dark Ages in your
notebooks.
This information will be on your quiz
Background
Dark Ages - the period following the decline of Rome
Also known as the “Middle Ages”
Implication - Between Rome and the Renaissance, Europe was considered to
be in a state of cultural decline
Why “Dark”?
“Dark & Light” Metaphor
Originally used by Christians to describe the “darkness” in the world before God sent Jesus Christ
Petrarch, Italian scholar
Used the terms “dark” and “light” to describe learning instead of religion
Believed that Europe was in the “dark” after the “light” of the Greeks/Romans were gone
Since then, historians and other scholars refer to the middle ages as the “Dark
Ages.”
Evidence?
Scholars and historians argued that after the Romans, Europe was in a state of
cultural decline because:
1. Learning was not supported
2. Very little “culture” was created (art, literature, architecture)
3. Multiple invasions
4. Lack of a central government
5. Poor economy
6. All around miserable place to live
Today, many scholars
disagree with this
claim. What do you
think?
Central Historical Questions: The Dark Ages
1. Was the time period between
400 CE and 1400 CE a real
“Dark Age” for Europe?
2. Was it really a time of cultural
decay and decline?
You will be answering these questions by completing a DBQ on the Dark
Ages.
Round 1 (15 min)
Skip Document E
Directions
Step 1
a. Read and annotate Document A. Answer the guiding questions.
b. Read and annotate Document B. Answer the guiding questions.
Step 2
a. Use the timeline to review the time periods mentioned by the 2 textbooks and
the American Cyclopaedia.
Step 3
a. Write 1st claim based on Documents A & B.
Round 2 (15 min)
Skip Document E
Directions
Step 1
a. Read and annotate Document C. Answer the guiding questions.
b. Read and annotate Document D. Answer the guiding questions.
Step 2
a. Use the timeline to plot the following information:
i. 2 events from each document
ii. Approximate date of the document itself
Step 3
a. Write 2nd claim based on Documents C & D