The Artefacts That Prove The Dark Ages Weren't Actually So Dark | An Age Of Light | Timeline

The Dark Ages have been misunderstood. History has identified the period following the fall of the Roman Empire with a descent into barbarism – a terrible time when civilisation stopped. Waldemar Januszczak disagrees.

In this landmark 4-part series Waldemar argues that the Dark Ages were a time of great artistic achievement, with new ideas and religions provoking new artistic adventures. He embarks on a fascinating trip across Europe, Africa and Asia, visits the world’s most famous collections and discovers hidden artistic gems, all to prove that the Dark Ages were actually an ‘Age of Light'.

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[angelcare]

I wish the episodes of this series were numbered, so we knew which one is which one 🤔 of have the links to the other ones in the description bar

[atomatolol]

So awesome that all these great documentaries are available on yt. Hope they're here to stay

[InnerSilence]

13:05 "Gideo loved her husband and remembers him with her tears." oh man, what an epitaph! such beautiful and so emotionally powerful words in such a short sentence, it made my eyes teary.

[jamesweaver]

I love that a former forger has become a skilled jewelry maker

[Hollylivengood]

I'm loving the craftsman. A real lover of the art and history of his work. Call him a forger or whatever, he loves the pieces.

[margretriese]

Breathtaking, exciting, moving - one of the most wonderful series on Art History I've ever watched. This is the second time I've seen it and still felt moved to tears again and again. THANK YOU !!!

[ericabassi]

"These days, people think that Jimmy Choo shoes are precious. In the middle ages, they knew better."

lol what?

[Ntylermil]

His criticism of the Palatine Chapel (Aachen Cathedral) is extremely bizarre. Gloomy? Brutal? What? Are we looking at the same building? It's an exuberant building full of colorful mosaics and polychromatic stonework.

In the first episode, the same presenter goes crazy for San Vitale in Ravenna, on which the Palatine Chapel is closely modeled. Rather than calling that church gloomy, he calls it "Sacred" and "Sculpted from light." The two churches have nearly identical proportions and geometries, and very similar decorative motifs.

[peachmylk]

Wish I'd seen this one before my trip to Norway and Sweden! Now I simply must watch more of Waldemar, he's a joy to listen to.

[angelobugini]

It's an extraordinary documentary! I truly did appreciate it so much. Thanks a lot for sharing! Keep it up!

[elainefarr]

The Dark Ages is a fascinating series, thank you so much! I've always questioned the assumption that the dark ages were dreary, constant fighting and few intelligent or educated people. Your work and research has shown the greater truth!

[happyreeds]

Waldemar Januszczak is a great (hi)story teller; never a dull moment and very convincing.

[nesut_thest]

THE BEAUTY OF THIS MAN'S DOCUMENTARIES...IS THE PASSION OF HIS NARRATION...HE BRINGS YOU RIGHT BACK TO THE TIME AND PLACE WHEN HISTORY WAS HAPPENING...👍

[MaciejBogdanStepien]

By far the best documentary series I have seen so far. So accurate, so informed, so.... factual. How come it is a rarity these days?

[Silvanafromchester]

THANK YOU THANK YOU.. I always loved dark age history in school even though our text books were very dry. If I'd grown up watching documentaries like these I know that I would have become a scholar on the subject. This series is fantastic and gives me an even bigger thirst for knowledge of that time. . Perhaps my dream will come true in a future life 👼👼

[lildoveable]

I LOVE these documentaries. Absolutely everything them, but the narrator makes the whole thing.

[AuntieCreed]

I read the book "How the Irish Saved Civilization" not long ago and getting to see the Lindisfarne Gospels was jaw-dropping! The incredible dedication the Irish monks had to save, preserve and pass on knowledge never ceases to amaze. The art was even more colorful and detailed than I could have imagined! Wonderful series that I will recommend to friends.

[PAS_]

Such a beautiful documentary! I think my favorite was the present day jeweler who was able to re-create incredible pieces. And the beautiful Bible at the end of the documentary. And then laughed at the intertwining narrative of Louis Vuitton and Jimmy Choo shoes. Makes our perceived beauty of the 21st century seem absolutely trite.

[alisaiterkan]

It's always nice to see someone enjoying what they do. It was a riveting documentary, so thankful to have YouTube.

[toniomalley]

I’m just loving this I will be watching this again and again thank you for putting this great program up for us