Did Islam cause the Dark Ages? . . This is a warning for what is happening now. . . . Did Islam, not barbarians, destroy classical civilization?
Henri Pirenne and others have promoted the theory that 7th century Islam, not 5th century barbarian conquest, was the main force that destroyed classical civilization. The theory is that the "barbarians" preserved much of classical civilization in culture, if not in politics. But then in the 7th century Islam destroyed that culture in North Africa and the Middle East. And even the areas it did not actually conquer, in Europe, were cut off from what had been for centuries a vast area of free trade and civilization around the Mediterranean. These now-isolated non-Muslim areas became backwaters, without access to the trade and products they had long relied on, and they went into decline.
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Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.Classical culture was largely destroyed by Christianity, long before the barbarian, or the Islamic invasions began. Though in truth it was a long slow decline which went back as far as the Punic Wars at least. This is a simplistic view at best.
Fernapple
Level 9
Nov 17, 2019
0
@OwlInASack Yet it would be wrong to see any religion as harmless, and ones which include incitements to violence in their basic tenents especially. Education is spreading as never before, and slowly all religions are sinking, it is unlikely that any one will every establish anything near a global theocrasy. But like tigers they can be at their most dangerous when wounded and dying, especially they are all well capable of striking out in many small mean and vengeful ways.
Well,how does that explain how Islam brought classical culture to the West and after Christianity pretty much destroyed it and the science of Aristotle et al. was engaged with and provided to the West.
The withdrawal of Rome from Albion didn’t cause a problem either. The Anglo-Saxon culture survived very well after the Roman Empire.
Geoffrey51
Level 8
Nov 17, 2019
0
It’s an interesting proposal, but I am dubious. The Islamic world was having a glorious flowering of civilization during the medieval period. I don’t see how Europe could have been adversely affected. The decline of the Roman Empire must have brought on the dark ages.
WilliamFleming
Level 8
Nov 16, 2019
0
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