Dark Ages

views updated

Dark Ag·es the period in western Europe between the fall of the Roman Empire and the high Middle Ages, c.ad 500–1100, during which Germanic tribes swept through Europe and North Africa, often attacking and destroying towns and settlements. ∎  a period of supposed unenlightenment. ∎  (the dark ages) humorous or derog. an obscure or little-regarded period in the past, esp. as characterizing an outdated attitude or practice: the judge is living in the dark ages.

More From encyclopedia.com