[m-photonic]

But "ancient" astronomers would have been even less accurate, and headlines need words that people can instantly recognize.

[michael_fine]

Yeah, post-classical would have been the more accurate term, thought I'm not sure it would've had the same comprehensibility.

[vacri]

The "Classical" world is as limited as "the middle ages" (perhaps even moreso); it mostly deals with the Mediterranean civilisations - and Iran is a long way from there.

[michael_fine]

According to my AP World textbook, at least, classical refers to a lot of geographically diverse civilizations, from the Byzantines to the Song Chinese to the Aztecs

[nichtich]

What's wrong with 14th century then?

[Someone]

Christianism. The man probably thought he lived around the year 800.