It does seem ridiculous, especially as we're then being asked to believe that somehow technology and culture expanded from Classical to Renaissance in just 50 or so years, yet "legitimate" recorded history has spent the same length of time not doing that much more.
(And of course it makes "history" more Eurocentric than all of Paradox's games put together.)
(And of course it makes "history" more Eurocentric than all of Paradox's games put together.)