The Renaissance and Hellenistic Era

The Hellenistic era refers to the time after Alexander the Great where Greek culture, history, and art flourished. Also, the Renaissance refers to the period of European history that a revival distinguished by a revival of science, literature, and art especially in Italy between the 14th and 17th centuries. The Renaissance is also known as a renewal of the Hellenistic era. Both the Hellenistic and the Renaissance emphasized the importance of Greek knowledge and the spreading of that knowledge. Greek knowledge was able to spread and be expanded on during these time periods through the scholars and the scholars’ achievements in their time period. Furthermore, there are numerous scholars that led to the advancements and the discoveries of new ideas in a particular subjects that led to kingdoms in these time periods to be able to flourish. Since, the Renaissance is a not only a cultural but a social revival of Greek knowledge and culture there are many similarities between these two eras in scholarship; however, there is one main difference.

In both the Hellenistic era and the Renaissance had many scholars who were knowledgeable in subjects such as science, mathematics, astrology, philosophy, history, etc. For example, during the Hellenistic era Aristotle was the main expert in every field of knowledge except for mathematics (Perry, Western Civilization 56). In Aristotle’s History of Animals, Politics, and Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle addresses different problems in politics. One problem Aristotle addresses is where the sovereign power of the state should reside. Aristotle also discussed the idea of ethics and the role off ethics in politics. Also, Aristotle sought to determine what was the best constitution and in this article he ...

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...nce of Greek knowledge and the spreading of that knowledge. Greek knowledge was able to spread and be expanded on during these time periods through the scholars and the scholars’ achievements in their time period. Due to the fact that the Renaissance is a not only a cultural but a social revival of Greek knowledge and culture there are many similarities between these two eras in scholarship; however, there is one main difference which is the political situation in each era. Lastly, without the importance of knowledge and scholarship in the Hellenistic age and the records those scholars kept the Renaissance would not have been as successful as a movement.

Perry, Marvin. Sources of the Western Tradition: Brief Edition. Vol. 1. Boston: Wadsworth, 2006. Print.

Perry, Marvin. Western Civilization: A Brief History. 10th ed. Vol. 1. Boston: Wadsworth, 2013, 2009. Print.