Cities shrank as people moved to the countryside for safety and food.
In Europe, monasteries became "islands of light." Irish and Continental monks painstakingly copied manuscripts, ensuring that classical knowledge survived the transition. the_dark_ages_explained_part_1
In the East, the Roman Empire didn't fall. Constantinople remained a glittering hub of law, Greek culture, and immense wealth. Cities shrank as people moved to the countryside
Europe broke into smaller, warring Germanic kingdoms (the Franks, Saxons, and Visigoths), leading to constant localized conflict. Why "Dark" is a Misnomer Constantinople remained a glittering hub of law, Greek
While the Church preserved Latin, the general literacy rates plummeted compared to the Roman era.
While the West was struggling to reorganize, much of the world was thriving.
Starting in the 7th century, the Islamic Caliphates became the world’s leaders in science, medicine, and philosophy, preserving the very Greek texts Europe had "lost."