Why are the middle ages called the middle ages, middle of what ?

Question

Why are the middle ages called the middle ages, middle of what ?

Answer 1

Well, it's also known as the MEDIEVAL  period, right? Medieval meaning old fashioned or UNENLIGHTENED.  In latin, medieval translates to Middle. The medieval period was also a time of enlightenment, and lead to the formation of most culture as we know it today.

Answer 2

Middle between "dark age" and renaissance

Answer 3

The Middle Ages form the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three "ages": the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages and Modern Times. The idea of such a periodisation is attributed to Flavio Biondo, an Italian Renaissance humanist historian.

Answer 4

The middle between the Roman Empire and the Renaissance - thus the valley of despair between the relative peaks of civilization.  see also Dark Ages.

Answer 5

I've always wondered that too.

Answer 6

I'm not positive, but I think it refers to a reference point when history was recorded.  For instance the dark ages refers to a time when history records are dim or non-existent.  The middle ages refer to a time between now and the first record found.

The time period is ~600 to 1200AD and I know the dark ages were prior to that.  It may be a wider period - probably about 1000 years or less.

Answer 7

It's in between Metal flying things  and oogabooga  cavedrawings

Answer 8

Well, you couldn't call them "The Beginning Ages" and you sure couldn't very well call them "The End Ages" could you?

(Just kidding!)

Answer 9

The middle between the Caliphate and the Atlantic Ocean.

Answer 10

It's considered the "middle" of a kind of overview of European history.  There is "antiquity", "middle ages", and "modern times", as far as a timeline.

Answer 11

it was a time when there were many advances in civilization as we know it.

Answer 12

Just a guess, but perhaps its considered the middle because its between the birth of Christ and the Modern Era. But wouldn't that make it sort of relative to "modern"??

Answer 13

Middle of the technilogical advances.

Weapons:Clubs, swords, guns.

Answer 14

Middle of what some believe is your life.