Essay Problem
• How did the printing press transform human knowledge? How do you see the necessary simplicity of oral communication affecting the depth of understanding that people had about the news, so to speak? How would the fact that most information about the world, most news, came from the pulpit affect the transmission of this information to villagers and townspeople? How did the printing press change this?
• Discuss the concept of the Renaissance Artist-Scientist. Explain the several Renaissance concepts of perspective. What are these artist-scientists attempting to accomplish? Discuss the works of Masaccio and Leonardo da Vinci among others.
• Compare the Medieval World Map, circa 1264, with Ptolemy's 2nd century map, which can be found in the Atlases link in this week's readings, or below in a clearer version.
In the version below, we have a Renaissance era replica of Ptolemy's map, which had been rediscovered in the late 13th century. Even though Ptolemy's map was more than a thousand years older than the Medieval World Map, it looks much more like maps we would use today. You do not have to answer all of these questions. Simply use them to shape your comparison:
What does Ptolemy's map allow that the medieval map does not? Why was the discovery of Ptolemy's map so important? How did it change the way people saw the universe? From what the two maps emphasize, what appears to be important in Ptolemy's world of 2nd century Greece, as compared to what appears to be important in medieval Europe?
The response must include a reference list. Using Times New Roman 12 pnt font, double-space, one-inch margins, and APA style of writing and citations.