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.