Assessing the Dark Age: Europe and China
Teacher Resources
Driving Question: How did societies cope with collapse?
When historians call this period “The Dark Ages,” they’re usually talking about Europe. So that’s where we’ll start, but it’s a big world beyond Europe. We’ll try to figure out if the medieval period in Europe was really a dark age and evaluate how other societies around the world responded to collapse.
- Analyze the extent to which Europe experienced a period of societal collapse following the fall of the Roman Empire.
- Evaluate whether East Asia experienced a dark age during this period.
- Utilize the historical thinking practice of sourcing to evaluate an imperial edict from a Chinese emperor.
- Use a graphic biography as a microhistory to support, extend, or challenge the overarching narratives from this period.
-
Guiding Questions
-
Note: For more detailed directions on completing the three close reads below, refer to the Three Close Reads – Introduction activity.
Skim
Before you read, you should quickly skim the article, by looking at the headings of each section and the charts. Read the questions below as well, so you know what to look for when you read!
Key Ideas
- Who first described Europe after the fall of Rome as being “dark” or backward?
- What was Edward Gibbon’s contribution to the idea of a “dark age?”
- How might English Heritage’s description of Tintagel Castle provide evidence against the idea of a “dark age?”
- What does Alban Gautier think of the term “Dark Ages?” What two limits does he think it has?
- How were the views of eighteenth-century authors, like Edward Gibbon, shaped by the times they lived in? How did this compare to nineteenth-, twentieth-, and twenty-first century views?
Evaluate
- This article references ways that scholars have used the idea of a European dark age to suit their own views and goals. Can you think of any ways that people today might use the idea of a dark age (or golden age) to suit their own agendas?
-
Guiding Questions
-
Note: For more detailed directions on completing the three close reads below, refer to the Three Close Reads – Introduction activity.
Skim
Before you read, you should quickly skim the article, by looking at the headings of each section and the charts. Read the questions below as well, so you know what to look for when you read!
Key Ideas
- What were the political effects of the fall of the Western Roman Empire? What organized European communities after this fall?
- How did relationships form the basis of feudalism?
- What intellectual achievements occurred during the medieval period?
- How do cities provide evidence that medieval Europe wasn’t experiencing a dark age?
- Did China have a dark age?
- Name one society mentioned in this article that didn’t experience a dark age. What evidence can you provide to defend your claim?
- How did the Afro-Eurasian population change from 476 to 1176 CE? What might this indicate?
Evaluate
- What does the author of this article argue about the label of the medieval “Dark Age”? Does the author consider it useful and accurate? Do you find the author’s argument convincing? Why or why not?
-
Guiding Questions
-
Note: For more detailed directions on completing the three close reads below, refer to the Three Close Reads – Introduction activity.
Skim
Before you read, you should quickly skim the article, by looking at the headings of each section and the charts. Read the questions below as well, so you know what to look for when you read!
Key Ideas
- How did belief systems influence communities in China during this period?
- What were some of Empress Wu’s accomplishments?
- How did increased trade affect China?
- How did oceanic trade change under the Ming? How was it different from European oceanic exploration?
- What was agricultural production like under the Ming, and how did this affect the population?
- Why did the Ming dynasty decline?
Evaluate
- In Unit 5, China was one of the most populous, powerful, and wealthy empires in the world. What might China’s history suggest about the broader trends of recovery and decline across Afro-Eurasia?
-
Guiding Questions
-
Note: For more detailed directions on completing the three close reads below, refer to the Three Close Reads for Graphic Bios – Introduction activity.
Observe
Skim the full comic, paying attention to things like prominent colors, shapes, and types of text and fonts. How do you know where to start and which direction to read? What’s in the gutters (the space between panels)? Who is the focus of the comic? What big questions do you have?
Understand
- Where was Du Huan born and how did he end up fighting in the battle of Talas/Talus?
- What happened to Da Huan and other captives after the battle? Why was his fate different from that of his friends?
- How does he describe production and distribution in Laobosa (probably Somalia)?
- How does he describe Molin, the province of Aksum he visited?
- How does the artist use art and design to give a sense of connection between these different places?
Connect
- How does this biography of Du Huan support, extend, or challenge what you have learned about production and distribution in this historical era?
- How does this biography of Du Huan support, extend, or challenge what you have learned about networks and connections between regions in this time period?
Shoguns, Samurai, and the Japanese Middle Ages
Key Ideas
-
Guiding Questions
-
Before you watch
Before you watch the video, it’s a good idea to open and skim the video transcript. And always read the questions below so you know what to look and listen for as you watch!
While you watch
- Beginning around the late twelfth century, what class became increasingly powerful? Who lost power?
- What new political system emerged around this time?
- Was power centralized under the shogunate or bakufu system? Who held power under this system?
- What are some similarities between the bakufu system in Japan and feudalism in Europe?
- What did guns have to do with Japanese reunification?
After you watch
- Did Japan experience a dark age during this period? Did connections among communities in Japan increase or decrease?
- Can you think of any ways that the small island of Japan might have been influenced by decline and recovery in the rest of Afro-Eurasia?
-
Guiding Questions
-
Note: For more detailed directions on completing the three close reads below, refer to the Three Close Reads – Introduction activity.
Skim
Before you read, you should quickly skim the article, by looking at the headings of each section and the charts. Read the questions below as well, so you know what to look for when you read!
Key Ideas
- What were the three successors of Rome?
- How did the eastern and western branches of the Christian Church differ in their beliefs and rituals?
- Why did the ban on religious icons stir up such a strong response from Byzantine communities?
- How did religious enthusiasm during this period in Christendom endanger religious minorities?
- What were the Crusades and how did they impact networks?
Evaluate
- How did Christianity help societies in these two places rebuild after the collapse of the Roman Empire?