Shelby Newcomb
Mrs. Cullen
History 9-2
24 October 2013
A Worthy Age The Middle Ages were not as dark as they are remembered; it was filled with worthy ideas and honorable actions. History has shown that over time bad deeds are remembered far longer than any good events, sometimes even eclipsing good deeds that happen at the same time. It has not failed to prove that the same has been true for the Dark Ages. So many years viewed as a stain on the progression of human kind when in reality they can be seen as centuries of quiet progress that led to the world we live in today. After the Roman Empire fell, most development in the area was arrested in its tracks. The time of continual advancements was over and many civilizations were propelled back to almost forgotten eras of gloom. Humanity lost progression with the fall of the Empire, but even after, people continued to improve in the areas they were missing. These slow advancements are usually overlooked when compared to the large breakthroughs of the extinct Roman Empire. Civilizations started to recover from the destruction that had plagued them since Rome fell; specialized labor, philosophy, and architecture are all examples of advancing fields at that time. Honor also played a big role in shaping the era; oaths of fidelity were taken by many to promise their loyalty to those they served. Advancement of people is perhaps one of the most underestimated changes at that time. Serfs and servants now had a chance to be part of a craft guild. Common people advanced in learning at places such as the University of Heidelberg. Philosophers and theologians also made appearances in the age. New ideas emerged on law, reason, wisdom, and learning; for example, the acquiring of knowledge was recorded by an English philosopher Roger Bacon and theologian Thomas Aquinas wrote about law pertaining to reason. Better educations also led to advancements in the medical field. Art of a hospital scene in Italy shows that the people then had advanced from the common assumption of what it would have been like now. The age did indeed have doctors and even hospitals at that time.
Possibly the field with the most advancements would be architecture. People were no longer surviving in wood or grass huts; instead they were thriving in increasingly better conditions. An account of a manor house describes a handsome house with oak ceilings, a sprawling floor plan, and everything that was possibly needed to meet the needs