What were some of the achievements of the Middle Ages?

Many of the achievements of the Middle Ages contributed to an era that symbolized rebirth. One of these was the revival of interest in learning. The first college at Oxford was founded in 1264. By 1400, there were more than fifty universities in Europe. The culture of education and debate was fostered through the translation into Latin of ancient texts originally preserved by the Arabs. Europeans came into contact with the Arabs in the Holy Land, Sicily, and Spain, and rediscovered many treasures, such as the works of the ancient Greek mathematician Euclid, which remained the standard mathematical textbook for Europeans until the 19th century. The Arabs also spread the new number system, the idea of the decimal point, and the idea of zero, all of which had been developed in India. By about 1450, the spread of learning accelerated even more with the invention of the printing press.

A second important contribution was the rise in living standards, especially in the large commercial cities of Italy. The Crusades opened the eyes of Europeans to the riches of the East, especially silk, spices and cotton. Merchants in Venice, Genoa, Florence, and other cities scrambled to acquire trade between Europe and the eastern Mediterranean. After accumulating excess wealth from their commercial activities, these merchants began to beautify their hometowns and cities with art. Sculptures, paintings, architecture, music, poetry, and literature found new ways to express interesting subjects, moving away from the religious themes that had been dominant since the Middle Ages. They generally depicted everyday life, chivalrous tales, and adventurous situations, and as a result, European culture became more human and less religious.

Da Vinci's proportions of the human body, the marriage of art and science[11]

Technological developments were also renewed, and more efficient goods and services were created. Manufacturing, farming, trade, and navigation were all improved and developed, dramatically surpassing ancient achievements. The desire for profit encouraged creativity and exploration. As the declining aristocracy disappeared, middle-class merchants and artisans began to strive for political power equal to their economic power.