The fall made civilization believe that this era separated the artist and authors from previous periods, leading the Middle Ages to be referred to as an era of ignorance and barbarity. This statement was certainly not entirely true: in the so-called Dark Ages there were many institutions and practices that are very important in today's times. Some major events occurred in different eras of the Middle Ages. The Middle Ages are divided into three periods: the Early Middle Ages which took place just after the fall of the Roman Empire until around 1000, the Central Middle Ages starting between around 1000 and 1300 and the Late Middle Ages taking place in from the end of the central Middle Ages until around