the economy fell so hard that in some areas of the Mediterranean and Near East even writing disappeared.
Lol! That is awesome. Slapped so hard, they forgot how to write. Though, if looking at the US, many are already illiterate anyway ;D
heavily supported by South American and then Indian gold.
Funny how the west has managed to not only build itself on the resources of others - but also build in such a way that we squander the opportunity to actually do something meaningful.