-— The Dark Ages term, if I recall correctly, was coined by historians who were referring to a time period where there was a dearth of written material created. -—
I didn’t know that.
Unfortunately, the modern view of the Dark and Middle Ages has been shaped almost entirely by Monty Python.
Ridicule is a powerful weapon.
It is; which is why I've made several brochures ridiculing the statist mindset entrenched in our government.
There is a Dark Ages Cold Period, which corresponds to decreased trade, capital formation and record keeping. Historians called it “dark” because there was nothing to read that was written during those times. Testing any hypothesis applicable to those time against primary sources is near impossible. So there is a corresponding lack of scholarship.