Middle Ages
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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The Middle Ages form the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three "ages": the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages and Modern Times. This was a period of great cultural, political, and economic change in Europe. The Middle Ages witnessed the first sustained urbanization of northern and western Europe. Modern European states owe their origins to the Middle Ages, and their political boundaries as we know them are essentially the result of the military and dynastic achievements in this tumultuous period. Science, technology, agricultural production, and social identity changed drastically during this period. The Middle Ages are commonly dated from the 5th century fall of the Western Roman Empire until the fall of the Eastern Roman Empire in the 15th century. These dates are approximate, and based upon nuanced arguments, for other dating schemes and the reasoning behind them, see "Periodisation Issues", below.
