After the fall of Rome and
before the rebirth of the Renaissance, Europe survived six centuries of
continental revolution characterized by famine, plague and bloodshed – a time
known as the Dark Ages. At its worst, life in the Dark Ages was miserable,
brutish and — for the fortunate — short. But through the darkness shone
scattered rays of light, men and women who tended the flame of progress while
the world around them descended into chaos. Those points of light brought about
the footprint of modern Europe both politically and culturally. The two-hour
special THE DARK AGES explores the unprecedented period spanning the fall of
Rome and Europe’s “medieval awakening.”
The
History Channel does it again with another well produced, informative
television event entitled The Dark Ages. The series looks at this
time in history when the "civilized" world stands still in terms of progress and
regresses in terms of humanity. However, at the same time, the spiritual
world had been enlightened.
This is not like the PBS specials of years ago.
The same elements of information and pictures are still the mainstay of the
documentary, however, it is produced almost as a movie, in such a manner as the
recent Building and Empire series was done. This television special
tells you a story of the Dark Ages through sight, sound and special effects --
not just the history, but a feeling of what it was like to be living during
those times. It looks at the politics and the people and how power,
religion and nature has affected them for six hundred years.
Some
of the topical highlights of The Dark Ages include:
The first sacking of Rome in 410 AD by outsiders
in over 700 years
Clovis, the King of
the Franks converts to Christianity in 496 AD
The last Emperor of Rome,
Justinian with the
backing of his wife Theodora,
overcomes a rebellion during his quest to reunite the old Empire in 533 AD
Sickness and death reach the shores of
Constantinople in 542 AD
The
History Channel does it again with another well produced, informative
television event entitled The Dark Ages. The series looks at this
time in history when the "civilized" world stands still in terms of progress and
regresses in terms of humanity. However, at the same time, the spiritual
world had been enlightened.
Some
of the topical highlights of The Dark Ages include: