A benefit of the Crusades would be the spread of knowledge inherent in the way people were able to learn from one another. While warfare marked much of the Crusades, interactions between Europeans and Near Easterners. At this time Europe was in the "Dark Ages," a period marked by little scholarly activity outside of monasteries. In the Near East, however, the arts and sciences were flourishing. Interaction between the two set Europe on a path towards the Renaissance.
