Francesco Petrarch's poetry had a great effect on the poems of later poets such as Shakespeare and Chaucer. His works were considered to be the first "modern" poems and the inventor of the sonnet, writing over 300 sonnets. ... He enjoyed the decedent life as an aristocrat at Avignon, and there on Good Friday 1327 he saw for the first time Laura, the lady who was to be the inspiration and subject of his most famous works. ... Here Petrarch found the peace and the inspiration that produced some of his best poems. ... He wrote a series of poems titled "Poems after Laura's death." ...

• Word Count: 675
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

People who travelled were drawn to Italy; if traders wanted luxury goods they went to Italy for example, in the fifteenth century Florence was one of the most famous and beautiful cities in the world. ... One of the most famous figures in the development of opera towards the end of the sixteenth century was an Italian composer called Claudio Monteverdi. ... One of the most famous poets during the Renaissance is John Milton. ... In this poem Milton used great imagery and justified the ways of g-d to man. ...

• Word Count: 1426
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

Botticelli had to power to materialize the "beautiful visions" and this he did in a number of works for the Medici villas, among them the famous Birth of Venus inspired by a poem by Politian on that theme (Art through..., 1970, 442-3) Sandro Botticelli was an Italian painter and draftsman. ...

• Word Count: 1721
• Approx Pages: 7
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

By the 15th century famous libraries, that are still in existence today, had been established. ... Petrarch expected to achieve great fame from his epic biographical poem Africa, which was based on the life of Scipio Africanus who, to Petrarch, embodies the valiant and pious virtues of the ancient Romans. ...

• Word Count: 2254
• Approx Pages: 9
• Grade Level: High School

VOCABULARY Archaeology: the scientific study of ancient people and cultures principally revealed through excavation. Cromlech: a circle of megaliths. Henge: a Neolithic monument, characterized by a circular ground plan. Used for rituals and marking astronomical events. Megalith: a stone of great size used in the construction of a prehistoric structure. ...

• Word Count: 10708
• Approx Pages: 43
• Grade Level: High School