The Dark and Middle Ages

For the most part only Plato\u27s teachings supported by a limited version of Aristotelian cosmology supportive of Platonism survived the decline of ancient Greek philosophy during the Roman Empire. Christianity later prevailed, and toward the end of the Middle Ages Aristotle’s secular perspective was only taken into account by Arab philosophers such as Averroes and Avicenna. After the collapse of Arab civilization during the twelfth century, the secular concept of a double truth between belief and reason put philosophy on equal footing with religion in such universities as Cordoba and the University of Paris. After a large assortment of ancient Greek texts were shipped from Constantinople to Italy in 1453 to prevent their destruction by pagan invaders, so-called Nominalists among European philosophers such as Duns Scotus and William of Ockham featured the independent analysis of the universe based on assumptions already pursued by Aristotle. In effect Greek philosophy in its entirety came to be “resurrected,” setting the stage for the inception of science as exemplified by Copernicus, Galileo, and Bacon

Everyman with fangs: The acceptance of the modern vampire

The vampire, an enduring demon from the European middle ages has through the course of the 20th century undergone a journey of transformation. The journey of the beast describes a circle, starting and ending with the depiction of the vampire as a soulless, evil killing machine. From the Middle Ages, moving into the 18th century the vampire slowly becomes more sophisticated, becoming first Varney, then Dracula, then in the last quarter of the 20th century as the accepted and understood Vampires Louis and Lestat. From there the vampire is found in television, theatre and cinema in such films as Fright Night, Blade, and The Lost Boys. Finally with the appearance of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the vampire becomes once again everyman with fangs and the circular journey began in the European Middle Ages has been completed

VI. Renaissance Humanism

Between the end of the High Middle Ages (about 1350) and the Protestant Reformation in the sixteenth century, the character of Western Civilization was profoundly altered. Earlier chapters have already told how most institutions and values characteristic of the High Middle Ages began to disintegrate. Meanwhile, other institutions and ideas, many of which we think of as modern, gradually came to the fore. The intensification of this process of transition from medieval to modern is called the Renaissance. [excerpt

8. The Gothic Cathedral

The Gothic cathedral, like the Summa of Aquinas, the University of Paris, and the Christendom of Innocent III, stands as one of the major expressions of the spirit of the High Middle Ages. The word Gothic, coined by the Renaissance as a term of disparagement, has come recently to have more favorable and appreciative connotations. Such a reevaluation may be due not only to the better perspective that a longer period of time offers us, but also to a deeper understanding of the cultural role of artistic and spiritual symbolism. The artistic expression of the Middle Ages found its supreme embodiment in the architecture of the Gothic cathedral. [excerpt

Christendom and Christianity in the Middle Ages: The Relations between Religion, Church, and Society

Reviewed Book: Bredero, Adriaan Hendrik. Christendom and Christianity in the Middle Ages: The Relations between Religion, Church, and Society. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1994

History of Poland during the Middle Ages

The present book “Poland – History, Culture and Society. Selected Readings” is the third edition of a collection of academic texts written with the intention to accompany the module by providing incoming students with teaching materials that will assist them in their studies of the course module and encourage further search for relevant information and data. The papers collected in the book have been authored by academic teachers from the University of Łódź, specialists in such fields as history, geography, literature, sociology, ethnology, cultural studies, and political science. Each author presents one chapter related to a topic included in the module or extending its contents. The book contains the extensive bibliography

The Age At Menarche In Nigerian Adolescents From Two Different Socioeconomic Classes

Menarcheal age was studied in 900 girls, half of which were from middle class families and the other half from low income class families from the Niger delta region of Nigeria. A retrospective and descriptive random sampling study was conducted through the use of questionnaires. Social class was based on parental occupation. The mean age at menarche for girls from middle class families was 12.22 ± 1.19 years while that for girls from low income families was 13.01 ± 1.44 years. Most of the children from the middle class families attained menarche at the ages of 12 and 13 while those from the low income families attained menarche at the ages of 12, 13 and 14 years.: The age at menarche of girls from middle class families was significantly lower than those of girls from the low socioeconomic class and is similar to those obtained for U.S. girls The age of menarche of girls from low income families is lower than a result of similar study obtained for rural India

Game of Thrones: imagined world combines romantic and grotesque visions of Middle Ages

OU historian Richard Marsden examines how longstanding assumptions about the Middle Ages have shaped the world presented in HBO's Gamer of Throne