[Balgair]

The Dark Ages were very much regional, with separate areas undergoing their own eras of 'darkness' and losing communication with the rest of the world.

Interestingly, Ireland during the 400's to 600's was something of a bastion of Catholicism and 'western/classical' thought in their monasteries. Even though Britain was very pagan and 'dark', Ireland remained 'enlightened' at this time (though the populace was still very 'dark' and pagan in Ireland).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Ireland_(400%E2%80%...

Under this regional definition of 'dark ages', even today they occur. Lost tribes in the Amazon, the populace of North Korea, very rural towns in Alaska, etc. all can be considered to be in 'dark' ages to some degree or another.

[acqq]

> Even though Britain was very pagan and 'dark', Ireland remained 'enlightened' at this time (though the populace was still very 'dark' and pagan in Ireland).

Do you happen to know something about the coinage in Ireland in that period? Also, searching for the survived original sources in that entry, they are either first half 400, written outside of Ireland, then some written later than 600 AD? Maybe I missed something?

[Balgair]

Sorry, coinage isn't an area of expertise for me. I'd just be googling for any info.

[rgblambda]

In Ireland we were taught in school that coinage was introduced by the Vikings and previous to that was a primitive system of cattle trading.

[z3phyr]

Pagan does not constitute dark. Most of the pagans recorded history when they were in power.

[acqq]

Yes, the term is problematic: "pagan" was traditionally just a derogatory term:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paganism

"The notion of paganism, as it is generally understood today, was created by the early Christian Church. It was a label that Christians applied to others, one of the antitheses that were central to the process of Christian self-definition. As such, throughout history it was generally used in a derogatory sense. - Owen Davies, Paganism: A Very Short Introduction, 2011"

[acqq]

And another quote from the same Wikipedia page:

"The term pagan is not attested in the English language until the 17th century.[24] In addition to infidel and heretic, it was used as one of several pejorative Christian counterparts to gentile as used in Judaism and to kafir ('unbeliever') and mushrik ('idolater') as in Islam.[25]"