Post-classical history (also called the post-classical era) is the period of time that immediately followed the end of ancient history. Depending on the continent, the era generally falls between the years AD 200–600 and AD 1200–1500. The name of this era of history derives from classical antiquity (or the Greco-Roman era) of Europe. Though, the everyday context in use is reverse (such as historians reference to Medieval China). In European history, "post-classical" is synonymous with the medieval time or Middle Ages, the period of history from around the 5th century to the 15th century. It began with the collapse of the Western Roman Empire and merged into the Renaissance and the Age of Discovery. The Middle Ages is the middle period of the three traditional divisions of Western history:
