WORLD HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -This period saw the disappearance of literacy due to the lack of cheap writing medium. The papyrus trade had collapsed, and papyrus does not survive well in the European cold and humid climate-it rots and decays away.

Detailed explanation-2: -Initially, medieval writers were anonymous scribes setting down stories they had heard. Originality in writing in the Middle Ages (as in the ancient world) was not high on the list of cultural values and early writers did not bother to sign their works.

Detailed explanation-3: -Literacy rates in the Middle Ages were low, but those who were unable to read could experience literature through ways other than private, silent reading.

Detailed explanation-4: -The knowledge of how to make cement or concrete was lost during the Dark Ages, which was key to many a Roman public works project such as an aqueduct. This was not regained until the middle of the nineteenth century.