The Campaign Builder's Guild

Some ramblings...

I was doing some geneological research of my paternal grandmother's lineage, as she's done some family tree research for her family. She's an Irwin which is Scottish and a noble house in Scotland. MacBeth turns out to be the brother-in-law to my ancestor, King Duncan Irwin. The Irwin's came from Erinviene, which means "noble of the west (Ireland)", since Northern Ireland Ulster Kings established a Kingdom that claimed south central Scotland from the Picts.

King Nial of the Nine Hostages was probably a distant relative (0 AD), he took the princesses of nine royal houses as hostages to maintain a "high kingship" over much of western Europe at the time and is said to have fathered nine kings of Europe.

Some Erinviene fought under the Fergus king against the Romans, but lost so they up and relocated to Norway for 20 or so years, until they could build up new armies to return. Some Erinviene's chose not to return to Scotland, but joined others going west and south and joined Atilla to fight the Romans in the East. It was said that some of the Erinviene were giving the title of Count, and a branch of the Irwins live in the region of Czechoslovakia...

The fact the people traveled so much and across huge distances in 200 AD, though were considered "primitive barbarians" compared to Rome astonished me. This is well before Viking Era which is late in the Dark Ages, so no longships or knaarls to take you across the sea. Probably coracles which are bowl shaped, single-masted boats with whale bone and wood frame and stretched and sealed skins bound externally to the bowl shaped frame. (St. Andrew is said to have taken several coracles from Ireland across the Atlantic to what is presumed to be Virginia, USA, around 500 AD - so says the "history".) So long distance sea travel could be coracle or viking long ship, whichever your flavor.

I read some historical fantasy book about the "real" King Arthur being a Roman trained Briton General who served the actual King. It reflected the lack of lead to refit the plumbing that once served Romano-British sites and the irrigation system established was failing. They were losing the Roman technology it took to maintain that society. The fractured nature of post Roman Europe broke down communications, trade, and travel. The Turks took control of Greece and science and mathematics fell into the Muslim hands, away from Christian Europe.

Yes, they lost technology, but they didn't become cave men hunter/gatherers, still still grew and ate beans. Europe has been an agrarian based culture for thousands of years, and still so during the dark ages. The high technology and science was lost, but farming techniques maintained.

Several (I can't name them) "new idea" technological advancements occurred during the Dark Ages, so it wasn't like everyone got stupid during that time. Religion became the bond the held the remnants of Roman, and on and off through the Holy Roman Emperor, or several strong Popes. So religion inhibited scientific advancement as heresies to the Church. It really depends on your point of view as to what was really "dark" about the Dark Ages.

Final point. To me, you're better off looking at a pre-christian Europe something like 500 BC to 0 AD. They were still world travellers apparently, but they lacked the technology of Rome and Greece. They hadn't been stilted with what was lost in the dark ages, as they never had it yet.

GP

Thanks, Gamer Printshop.  Very interesting read and in line with what I am discovering as I read a couple of books I checked out of the local library on the Dark Ages.  I'll probably end up pushing the equivalent date further back.  Though, I'd first like to see how much of what makes the Dark Ages feel like normal fantasy is purely cultural and how much is a result of different technology.  It could be possible that Dark Age levels of tech are fine if socially, it is divergent.  After all, there's no Roman Empire or Chatholic Church here, so I already expect there to be a major difference in feel.  It could still be a good jumping off point, I guess.