/lit/ - Literature

>>6368262
First, Constantinople was founded only in the 4th century, in the century before, Gothic invasions had ravishes much of the Greek lands so many sources were already lost. Not counting things like the destruction of the Academy in Athens during Sulla's siege, or the multiples burnings of Alexandria, or the sack of Antioch by Shapur I etc... I'm sure you want to say "the Christians burned all the books" but there is no evidence for that, while there is plenty of evidence of cities that housed many books being destroyed even before Christianity became influential.

And second, the "Dark Ages" as a relevant historiographical period refers only to Western Europe. In the Byzantine Empire many of the cultural, and even infrastructure of the Roman period continued. So while in the West everyone forgot how to build a decent aqueduct in Constantinople they were still built.

But you will say, there was a decline in Greek science during the Christian period. Yes, there was, but this decline also predates Christianity. Most cultural booms just burn out after a time, it has happened with everyone...