1. Why did Europeans after 1300 use "Middle Ages" to refer to the time between the end of the Roman Empire and the start of the Renaissance?

(202 bc - 220 ad) dynasty started by lui bang; a great and long-lasting rule, it discarded the harsh policies of the qin dynasty and adopted confucian principles; han rulers chose officials who passed the civil service exams rather than birth; it was a time of prosperity

though both had similar roots, they both took these similar bases & formed it into their own way. both the byzantine empire and ancient roman have similar aspects, but each one made it unique. both the byzantine empire and ancient romans had roman influences which affected their culture