@the_Effekt
I'm certain that Romans felt that way when the Roman Empire came to an end and the Dark Ages ensued. I'm also certain that Ottoman Turks felt that way at the end of World War I. It wasn't The End for the planet, though. Just the order of things as we know it.
@ClaraListensprechen4
True enough. When we read history like this, our brains tend to interpret the downfall of a civilization into a moment's time.
It probably has an influence on what we're seeing now.