That's the history you received. I was taught that model in
school (USA) and believed it.
Around the age of 24, I investigated and ended up joining the
Eastern Orthodox Christians for about 5 years. Even spent a
little time in a monastery. Totally convertitis.
I learned more about the world between 500 and 1500 AD and a lot
of gaps filled in that went back to about 150 AD. Parts of the
world like the Middle East (Byzantium then, although calling it
Byzantium isn't entirely technically correct, just easier) and
Russia had rich histories and writings from across the time span
that illustrate less of what you imagine it to have been like,
and more of what it really was like, at least among the best of
the educated.
The very same peoples who we admire for their ancients, the
Greek philosophers, didn't just have all their books burned
except for a magical copy that showed up in 15th century Italy
thanks to Islamic revival scholars of the 11th century or some
such nonsense, which is one of the spun tales I hear.
Rather, the knowledge and methodologies of ancient Greek
rhetoric, philosophy, knowledge, lived and BREATHED within the
ongoing cultures that followed. Greeks debating over the finer
points of the Trinity in the 3rd century were the same kinds of
Greeks debating finer points of philosophy 500 years prior.
Same culture. Learned about the greats, who were greats back
then too, except perhaps Plato was a hero of thought from 600
years prior, whereas now he's a hero of thought from 2500 years
prior.
A long time ago whether you were in 3rd century AD or 21tt
century AD.
There was far less ignorance than you were taught.
