[kochikame]

Well, I mean, in the sense that basically all historical ages are invented by people long after that time and would not have been recognized as such by the people who lived through it, then, no.

The early moderns didn't know they were in early modernity. The fall of the Roman Empire was constructed as a narrative long after the facts became clear. We don't know what age we are living in right now that will someday be named by future historians (probably as the "last bit before the climate went tits up" or words to that effect)

[bryanrasmussen]

>"last bit before the climate went tits up"

indeed, Great tits could be wiped out by climate change in the near future https://nypost.com/2020/11/11/great-tits-could-be-wiped-out-... (first line: We mean the birds, dirtbags.)

[closedloop129]

>The Late Latin adjective modernus, a derivation from the adverb modo "presently, just now", is attested from the 5th century, at first in the context of distinguishing the Christian era from the pagan era. In the 6th century, Cassiodorus appears to have been the first writer to use modernus "modern" regularly to refer to his own age.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modernity#Etymology

[int_19h]

For more on how what we now term "the fall of the empire" manifested itself to common citizens at the time:

https://acoup.blog/category/collections/fall-of-rome/

[NoGravitas]

Imagine thinking there will be future historians.

The crows will have an interesting time explaining the worldwide ash horizon in the soil a million years from now, though.

[permo-w]

the Victorians could have made a fairly safe bet that they were living in the era of Victoria