A Search for Knowledge
Lesson 2
In the Middle Ages, a person’s knowledge was limited to what he personally experienced. Stop for a moment and name animals that you’ve seen with your own eyes. Then, name additional animals that you know about from videos, books, and other sources. You know a lot from the experiences that others have had and shared with you. This change, from knowing only those things that you can see to knowing from all the experiences of others, is what happened during the Renaissance period. A massive spread of
information began with the introduction of the printing press in 1440. At this time, people became focused on learning more about everything. In this search for knowledge, the Renaissance artist asked questions. How is the human body put together? What do different animals really look like? What kinds of plants are in the world? They spread this new knowledge to others through books. More books were made during this time than ever before. Everyone wanted books. By the year 1500, only 60 years after the invention of the press, more than 16,000 different books were available on every sort of topic. 143 European towns had print shops (Wilkinson and Dineen). With more reading material available, more people learned to read. Young boys went to schools to read scriptures, writings of ancient cultures, and books on science and nature. Artists, like Dürer, read a lot of books.
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