It was called the “dark age” because we have very few primary sources from the time. It started with the collapse of the Western Romans and officially ended at the start of the Middle Ages, between 300-500 years depending on who you ask.
During this time a lot was lost, anything that required a large amount of logistics or specialised skills was basically impossible to do due to the breakdown of any bureaucracy or central planning. Some advances were made in this time but they were small and localised without any way of dispersing them.
During the dark ages most people were illiterate and for at least the first part of it were more preoccupied with eating and safety than technological improvements
Exactly. It's not the dark age because nothing positive happened during it, there are just few historical records compared to other times in history.
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