The Footprints of the Ancients: Readings in World History from Hammurabi's Code to the Letters of Columbus

The Renaissance dictum ad fontes, or "(return) to the sources!" expressed the desire to bypass medieval textbook-like summaries of ancient writings for reading the actual texts, ideally in their original languages. In reading ancient writings, Renaissance humanists of the 14th to the 16th centuries believed they experienced a purer version of the classical and Christian past. They "returned to the sources" by uncovering little-known manuscripts from ancient monasteries, edited these texts for a wider readership, debated their meanings, and sought to apply the things they learned to their public lives. They referred to these literary endeavors as keeping to "the footprints of the ancients." The present book seeks to channel this humanistic spirit and apply it to the sources of world history from the earliest written records up to the 16th century C.E.