The Discarded Image

Content Warning: This section includes descriptions of racist attitudes and biases put forth by the author.

Ancient Greece and ancient Rome both had a profound and lasting impact on the people and literature of the Medieval Era, for no other sources were held in such high esteem as classical ones. Plato and Aristotle were particularly strong influences, but many other classical writers and thinkers also left their mark on the Medieval Model of the universe. Medieval people’s understanding of the cosmos, for instance, came largely from Ptolemy’s geocentric universe. Other classical writers provided the inspiration for the heavenly spheres and for Earth’s cosmic insignificance. Although most people in medieval Europe were Christian, with Christianity being an official religion in many countries, medieval people did inherit some aspects of ancient Greek and Roman polytheistic religions. For example, the planets were named after Roman deities, and many medieval people believed in astrology. Additionally, classical figures appeared often in medieval texts.

Another significant kind of classical thought in the Medieval Model can be found in medieval people’s perceived cultural heritage. C. S. Lewis notes that many people in medieval Britain considered themselves to be literally, metaphorically, or (at the very least) intellectually descended from the Trojans.