{"product_id":"a-guide-to-the-phantom-dark-age","title":"A Guide to the Phantom Dark Age","description":"They’ll be turning in their graves! Emmet Scott confronts conventional historians and looks at the evidence, archaeological and textual, for the proposition that three centuries, roughly between 615 and 915, never existed and are ‘phantom’ years. The author shows in detail that no archaeology exists for these three centuries, and that the material remains of the seventh century closely resemble those of the tenth, and lie directly beneath them.\n\nDigging through the documented remains of the Roman Empire, Byzantium and the Islamic world including Mesopotamia and Iran, he points out logical problems, inconsistencies, and questionable dating of the type that usually raise questions.\n\nThe term ‘Dark Age’ was first introduced by historians during the 14th century, denoting that little was known of European history in the centuries between the fall of the Western Empire and the beginning of the 11th century. By the 19th century, however, it had become evident that Roman civilization did not come to an end in 476, not even in the West. The very late adoption of a universally-recognized Christian anno domini calendar and the Islamic world’s Age of Hijra (AH) calendar aided in masking the deception.\n\nThe barbarian princes who had taken control of the Roman Empire’s western provinces were not mindless destroyers. On the contrary, they adopted Roman civilization as quickly as they could and did everything in their power to uphold Roman institutions and customs. They also minted gold coins emblazoned with the image of the emperor in Constantinople. And they continued to build monuments in the Roman style, including luxurious churches and amphitheatres.\n\nAt the other end of the scale, the period we now call the High Middle Ages, from the 11th or even late 10th century onwards, could no longer be considered part of a dark age: Europe’s great cathedrals and castles of this time still stand in all their glory, revealing an advanced and in some ways astonishing civilization.\n\nUsing real evidence, archaeological and textual, Emmet Scott shows in detail that these are ‘phantom’ years, and he suggests why it was that this little fiction was widely accepted and supported, as it served the interests of the ruling elites from Europe to Arabia.\n\nThis is the first book on this topic in the English language, though Heribert Illig’s books on the same topic, Das erfundene Mittelalter and Wer hat an der Uhr Gedreht? have been best sellers in German-speaking Europe.\u003cbr\u003eASIN: 1628940395\u003cbr\u003eVSKU: RDV.1628940395.VG\u003cbr\u003eCondition: Very Good\u003cbr\u003eAuthor\/Artist:Scott, Emmet\u003cbr\u003eBinding: Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eNote:\u003c\/b\u003e Any images shown are stock photographs and product may differ from what is shown.  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eCondition Notes\u003c\/b\u003e: This book is in excellent condition. There may be minimal writing on the inside cover or cover page. Cover image on the book may vary from photo. Ships out quickly in a secure plastic mailer.  \u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Reliant Bookstore","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47794044305585,"sku":"RDV.1628940395.VG","price":16.96,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"url":"https:\/\/www.reliantbookstore.com\/products\/a-guide-to-the-phantom-dark-age","provider":"Reliant Bookstore","version":"1.0","type":"link"}