How did Europe catch up and eventually surpass the great civilizations in the Middle East and the Orient? ... As Crusade after Crusade sent massive waves of Europeans to the Middle Eastern "Holy Land" and back again, traders began to take their wares with them, in order to bring back Middle Eastern spices, textiles, and any other goods they could possibly sell in their homeland. ... As merchants gained power, other middle-class professions appeared to cater to them, such as lawyers, bankers, accountants, and notaries. ... The new middle class allowed craftsmen to specialize entirely in the ...

• Word Count: 2084
• Approx Pages: 8
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

The period is more or less considered as playing out what had been set up in the later Middle Ages. ... It was during this time that Europe was busy pulling herself out of the economic stagnation of the Middle Ages. ... Of all the practices of Renaissance Europe, nothing is used to distinguish the Renaissance from the Middle Ages more than humanism as both a program and a philosophy. ... The fall of Constantinople in 1453 provided Humanism with a major boost, for many eastern scholars fled to Italy, bringing with them important books and manuscripts and a tradition of Greek scholarship (Wil...

• Word Count: 1970
• Approx Pages: 8
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Art evolved into great colorful works from the time of the Middle Ages to the Renaissance. ... In addition to classical elements Romanesque architecture uses components of Byzantine and Eastern origin. ...

• Word Count: 1889
• Approx Pages: 8