Documentary overview

About Were The 'Dark Ages' Really That Dark?

The Dark Ages have been misunderstood. History has identified the period following the fall of the Roman Empire as a descent into barbarism - a terrible time when civilization stopped. Waldemar Januszczak disagrees. In this four-part series, he 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'. 💚 Join the Absolute History club to get access to exclusive member benefits!

Were The 'Dark Ages' Really That Dark? is presented by Absolute History. Its listed runtime is 239 minutes. The source link and publisher attribution are provided with the embedded film.

As a society documentary, Were The 'Dark Ages' Really That Dark? uses really as its central frame. Social documentaries work best as invitations to examine systems through lived experience. Distinguish individual testimony from wider claims, and consider which institutions, incentives and inequalities shape the choices shown.

Viewing context

What to consider before watching

  1. What evidence, testimony or observation does the film use to explain really?
  2. Which people, institutions or historical conditions most influence the story told in Were The 'Dark Ages' Really That Dark??
  3. How does Absolute History's framing affect the documentary's emphasis, and which perspectives may deserve further research?
Subjects

Topics covered in this documentary

Societyreally
Film information

Documentary details and original source

Title
Were The 'Dark Ages' Really That Dark?
Category
Society
Runtime
239 minutes
Language
English

Free Documentary Vault provides independent discovery, organization and editorial context. The film remains hosted by its original publisher, who controls availability and playback.

Continue exploring
The Bombing Raid That Almost Wiped London Off The Map documentary thumbnailEN29 min
The Bombing Raid That Almost Wiped London Off The Map

In this film, we walk the modern streets of London to uncover the scars of a night that should have broken the nation's morale. From the "grimy-faced heroes" of the Auxiliary Fire Service—many of whom were taxi drivers towing pumps with rope—to the frantic struggle to save St Paul’s Cathedral under direct orders from Winston Churchill, we explore the courage that kept the city standing. 💚 Join the Absolute History club to get access to exclusive member benefits! 📺 You can now become a History Hit member right here on the original video platform! Join for access to a new exclusive documentary every week, and access to over 160+ of our documentaries presented by world renowned historians like Dan Snow, Eleanor Janega, Tristan Hughes, Mary Beard, Matt Lewis and more.

Absolute History

The Bombing Raid That Almost Wiped London Off The Map

29 minSociety
Archeologists Uncover Hidden British Treasures | Digging for Britain documentary thumbnailEN51 min
Archeologists Uncover Hidden British Treasures | Digging for Britain

Journey across Britain with leading archaeologists as they unearth ground-breaking discoveries that rewrite human history. In this documentary episode, we travel from Norwich Castle Museum into the heart of the Cambridgeshire Fens to explore Must Farm - Britain’s "Bronze Age Pompeii" - revealing industrial-scale fishing, pristine log boats, and combat-scarred weaponry. 💚 Join the Absolute History club to get access to exclusive member benefits! 📺 You can now become a History Hit member right here on the original video platform! Join for access to a new exclusive documentary every week, and access to over 160+ of our documentaries presented by world renowned historians like Dan Snow, Eleanor Janega, Tristan Hughes, Mary Beard, Matt Lewis and more.

Absolute History

Archeologists Uncover Hidden British Treasures | Digging for Britain

51 minSociety
Happiness is accepting that we will all die | Eternity at Last (full documentary) documentary thumbnailEN92 min
Happiness is accepting that we will all die | Eternity at Last (full documentary)

How do we explain to our children that we all have to die some day? And do we really have to? "Eternity at Last" explores the question of whether we have to accept sickness and death as the natural course of our lives. Visionaries tell the stories of how they take evolution into their own hands, using transhumanist technologies. Living forever is the seductive goal of many scientists today, but what are the larger implications? This multi-layered documentary offers a pragmatic take on how humanity tries to outsmart the most basic fact of life: death. ------- Chapters ▷ 0:00:00 - Intro ▷ 0:00:27 - A promise to live ▷ 0:01:47 - Opening credits ▷ 0:02:38 - Frédéric Beigbeder, novelist ▷ 0:04:22 - Lincoln Cannon, Mormon transhumanist ▷ 0:08:15 - Unprejudiced investigation ▷ 0:09:07 - Liz Parrish, humanitarian and entrepreneur (BioViva) ▷ 0:13:08 - Aubrey De Grey, biomedical gerontologist (SENS Research Foundation) ▷ 0:17:54 - The inequality of immortality ▷ 0:20:21 - BioViva's gene therapies ▷ 0:29:10 - Fertility rates & delayed menopause ▷ 0:31:00 - It we can't die, can

wocomoDOCS

Happiness is accepting that we will all die | Eternity at Last (full documentary)

92 minSociety
2 Hours Of Uncovering Dinosaur Discoveries documentary thumbnailEN154 min
2 Hours Of Uncovering Dinosaur Discoveries

In "A New Prehistory", the origins of birds and their evolutionary ties to dinosaurs are explored. Discoveries from China since 1996 have revealed that many dinosaurs were covered in feathers, with some even capable of flight. The show delves into how the breakup of the supercontinent Pangea created a unique climate that contributed to the survival and evolution of feathered dinosaurs. The significance of the Archaeopteryx fossil, often cited as a missing link between dinosaurs and birds, is discussed in detail. The show also covers how volcanic ash preserved ancient fossils, allowing palaeontologists to study the history of flight and feathers. The insulating properties of feathers and their role in protecting ancient creatures from the cold are examined, as well as the evolution of mammals during the time of the dinosaurs. Additionally, the decline of giant insects during the late prehistoric era is analyzed, with multiple theories about their extinction. From: A New Prehistory Content licensed by St Thomas Productions to Little Dot Studios

Real Wild

2 Hours Of Uncovering Dinosaur Discoveries

154 minSociety
Escaping Burnout: The substance that allegedly makes you smarter (Full documentary, 2015) documentary thumbnailEN52 min
Escaping Burnout: The substance that allegedly makes you smarter (Full documentary, 2015)

If popping a pill could make you smarter and live longer, would you? Since the advent of smart drugs like Nootropics, more and more people have admitted to taking them to boost their productivity. In this critical documentary, self-proclaimed futurist and speaker Nikolas Badminton undergoes a series of personal experiments with smart drugs (FDA-approved or otherwise) and explores various popular biohacking techniques used by the "most successful and creative people" at the heart of technocratic culture. But do they really work? ------- Chapters ▷ 00:00 – Intro ▷ 01:53 – Escaping burnout ▷ 05:30 – First dip ▷ 15:27 – Testing Nootroo ▷ 19:30 – No calories, just water ▷ 22:43 – Microdosing ▷ 24:25 – Wim Hof Method ▷ 30:57 – On top of the schedule ▷ 32:25 – Even stronger: Modafinil ▷ 36:34 – No more sleep ▷ 40:21 – Doctor's advice ▷ 48:43 – Conclusion ▷ 50:40 – Credits ------- ------- Nootropics are an over-the-counter drug that could change the fabric of our society, also known as ‘smart drugs,’ and they’re globally popular both at parties and

wocomoDOCS

Escaping Burnout: The substance that allegedly makes you smarter (Full documentary, 2015)

52 minSociety