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Document A: Dictionary Entry for “The Dark Ages” In its original use, the term “Dark Ages” referred to the Early Middle Ages in Europe. It meant that little evidence about the time was available. Historians did not know much about this time and so the period was “in the dark.” Yet over time, people began using it as a term to describe the overall Middle Ages. Also, the term gained a negative connotation. Instead of focusing on the lack of information, historians assumed people and life at that time were “dark.” They thought they lived without learning or innovation. They used the term to describe the time as one of ignorance and miserable living. As historians have uncovered more documents from that time, however, it is not nearly as “dark” now. Modern historians do not often use the term anymore because more is known about the early Middle Ages and because of the negative meaning it gained. Some do use it today, though, as it was originally intended.
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