Italy lay where an ancient society had prospered and triumphed, and thus, Italians looked to Ancient Rome for answers of how to improve their own society. Italy was full of ancient monuments and documents and thus Italians had easy access to the past. The Latin language of Ancient Rome was also easily learned by Italians, which gave them a unified tool to open the past. So, it was the special circumstances of Italy that provided the Italian people with their great enthusiasm to learn and understand the ancients and their way of life.

With their new knowledge of the past, a new dilemma a

As mentioned earlier, the humanists played a vital role in the 'revival of antiquity'. Many people participated, but a few stand out above the rest, as their contributions to the knowledge of ancient literature, ideas and history, were great.

The most influential non-Italian humanist during the Renaissance was Erasmus of Rotterdam (1466-1536). Although he was interested in classic Latin literature and style, Erasmus' most important objective was to promote the revival of true Christianity. He was concerned with peace, love, honesty and the right way of living. He wrote a handbook that included what Christian virtues and practices should be. Erasmus' search for truth and his eloquent voice, made him the man many followed in their quest to reform the Church.

Also important is Niccolo Machiavelli (1469-1527), whose political writings are still studied today. Machiavelli strongly believed that history would always repeat itself, and therefore, he proposed that Italy would again become as great as Rome had been once before, if the Italian people followed the ways of the ancients. He held Ancient Rome in the greatest esteem, which is evident in many of his works. In The Prince, Machiavelli uses countless examples of how the ruling and happenings of Ancient Rome could be applied to the ruling of Italy at his present time.

rose. Much of the documents and other writings found did not correspond with the Church's beliefs and practices. As most of Europe adhered to the Church, this was a problem. So, many people set to work, trying to combine the great new knowledge recently found, with the ideas of the Church.

'Revival of antiquity' has been used to describe the Renaissance and the humanists of the day. This concept most definitely characterizes much of this period of time, but it is not all encompassing. The fact that the Christian church was such a strong influence at this time, meant that any revival would have de

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Approximate Word count = 1314
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)