That too was my initial reaction. On a completely different level, documentation from this era is scant. Lacking hard evidence any number of hypothesis are tenable. Were the great unwashed masses living naked and afraid? They could be again if matters continue as they are.
What about coins? Nobody stopped making coins. What about the tree rings? Isn’t there a comprehensive pattern of tree rings that can provide a date for preserved wood for at least the last 2000 years, calibrated for volcanic events, etc.?