> a fireproof Library of Alexandria to help avoid another Dark Ages. This mischaracterizes the Middle Ages. First, we are finding they weren't as dark as we th

> a fireproof Library of Alexandria to help avoid another Dark Ages. This mischaracterizes the Middle Ages. First, we are finding they weren't as dark as we thought they were. Second, people forget, that while the Western Roman Empire fell, the Eastern Roman Empire went on to last another 1000 years, and it preserved a lot of the knowledge. In fact, it was scholars fleeing from Constantinople as the Turks conquered it that helped sparked the Renaissance. So that knowledge was never really lost. Finally, it was the loss of security and functioning infrastructure that was the largest cause of the "dark ages" and the loss of knowledge was secondary to that. When you are focused on how to avoid being robbed/raped/enslaved/killed by pillaging barbarian hordes, education takes a back seat.