Oftentimes, some Pagans have the idea that European history suddenly stops circa 1000 AD, and that modern Paganism is about picking up exactly where we "left off"—leaving a huge gap between us now and our Pagan ancestors then, and neglecting the thousand-plus years of culture, history, and ancestors in between. The truth is that Paganism didn't "die" or "pause" the moment our ancestors converted. In addition, neither did our culture or history vanish across time—which, in and of itself, is invigorating, fascinating, and deeply valuable.
Even going back as recently as four hundred years ago, we find ourselves in the Early Modern Period. Zoning in on England, the culture itself was rich—the manners, customs, ideas, and beliefs. In fact, almost all churches in England during this period had a Maypole. Small things like this, so recent in our history, are often overlooked by some Pagans who completely disregard the culture and ancestors of this time (and other times) simply because it wasn't stereotypically "Pagan" or was not "Pagan enough."
Interestingly, it was Oliver Cromwell and the Puritans during the English Civil War who pushed to have church Maypoles removed. Before then, most English people would not have thought twice about Maypoles, and they were therefore connected to a living Pagan tradition. The Early Modern Period—its history, events, and people—could be studied almost exclusively, and various modern people of English descent could devote themselves to revitalising the cultural habits and small traditions of that time by bringing them into the modern world. This could be applied to almost any cultural period in history.
Moreover, English culture from the Early to the Late Middle Ages (which was, to a substantial degree, ultimately Anglo-Norman) gives us our modern English culture, habits, and attitudes. To ignore this in favor of a revisionist historical viewpoint—that history "stops" when Europe becomes Christian and "resumes" now with us "picking up the pieces"—is to do a disservice to our entire cultural heritage over the past thousand years.
If Europe had not become Christian, the architectural, artistic, and technological innovations that occurred between 1000 and 1600 AD would still have occurred within a religiously Pagan context (e.g., observe Lithuania’s culture in the Middle Ages). It is therefore valuable to learn about and continue to preserve archaic aspects of our ancestral cultures from the High to Late Middle Ages, in addition to earlier Pagan times, as well as the Early Modern Period—and, of course, the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries.
