Step 1 : Introduction to the question "In AD 476 the last Western emperor, Romulus Augutulus was overthrown by Odoacer, a barbarian. This is considered by some to be the possible start of which European era?"
...The "Dark Ages" is a popular, but outdated term for the period from c. 450 A.D. to 750 A.D. (or even later). The name is sometimes interpreted as referring to the "darkness" which followed the period of "light" i.e. the Roman Empire, and sometimes simply as a period which is obscure, due to the relative lack of written records. However, the term has no validity beyond Western Europe, and historians prefer to speak of the "Early Middle Ages", which is less open to value-laden interpretations.
