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I'm thinking of things like the destruction of the library of Alexander, the religious fanaticism of the late Empire, and the destructive effects of continuous
by hodgesrm 6y ago
I'm thinking of things like the destruction of the library of Alexander, the religious fanaticism of the late Empire, and the destructive effects of continuous wars from the mid-200s AD. It's pretty easy to wipe out scientific progress if you put your mind to it. It was not just invading Germans, though that certainly did not help.
- boomboomsubban 6y agoThe first two really didn't happen, and though the Crisis of the Third Century hampered Rome, it wouldn't wipe out knowledge. Plus, who wanted to wipe out progress? The West lost their connection to Greek, and the knowledge was largely Greek.
- hodgesrm 6y agoI would look up the Arian Controversy before asserting there was no religious fanaticism. There were many such disputes in the late empire, some attended by considerable bloodshed.
- boomboomsubban 6y agoEarly Christianity had some splits, but they primarily happened in the Eastern Mediterranean. Some Germanics were still Arian, they were usually tolerant though. Religious fanatics were around, but there wasn't a strong wave of fanaticism in that period. Losing access to Greek did far more damage than losing Arian theology.