The renaissance times

The Renaissance Times

Venus, uncovered for the

public to view

Columbus has finally

discovered something

Gutenberg prints an eas-

ier future

Oh, so that’s what the I

look like on the outside

Only two pents

To the editor:

I am a student at the Platonic Academy in Florence and I have studied many Greek gods and

Greek myths. I was one of the first to join the school back in 1462. I am very interested in

these topics, and when I read your gossip column, needless to say, my attention was piqued.

Venus is a god that has a very interesting story of birth to say the least. According to the Greek

myths, Venus is the daughter of the god Caelus and the open sea. It’s said that Saturn sliced

Caelus’ genitals off and threw them into the open sea. Caelus’ severed genitals drifted out at

sea, and from it, Venus arose from the sea foam. The Greek myths say that Venus became the

god of love, sexuality, fertility, and sacred prostitution. She was married to Vulcan, a banal

god, and she was very unhappy. It is said that she gave birth too many children from both gods

and mortals, but none of which Vulcan could call his own.

I think that Sandro Botticelli did an amazing job in his picture, Birth of Venus. He really

showed who she really was and what she stood for and symbolized. I can see why some would

say that it crossed the line of decency, but I think that if everyone who viewed the painting

knew the myth, they would feel like Botticelli deserves some praise for his amazing depiction

of Venus’ birth.

The Medici family is well known in the world of patrons, and they are the founders of the

school that I attend where there are many painting and masterpieces of gods and mythological

stories. I completely believe that the painting is theirs, but I do not think that everyone else

will. Maybe a well-known member of the Medici family should be interviewed and questioned

on the matter of the painting. This would supply the world with a real answers to the questions

that you yourself asked in you gossip article. I think it is a topic to push as our time is centered

on our art and literature.

Thank you for writing about the painting and including all of the factual information that you

did, and I hope that you will consider my suggestion of interviewing a member of the Medici

family. I stand behind you on this article and I strongly urge you to release more stories like

this to keep the attention of people like me.

Kind regards,

Michel Luther

[The Editor replies:]

Dear Michel Luther,

It is a very good idea to interview a member of the Medici family and I am very humbled by

you kind words about my article. I am happy that I could catch the attention of people like

you and I hope to keep it. I will try my best to get in contact with a Medici family member

and get answers to the many questions that I myself and everyone else have.

Have a good day and I wish you luck with you school.

Calef L Taylor

Editor, The Renaissance Times

Dear Thomas,

Hi, I am a follower of Martin Luther and i am

very dedicated to his cause. I do not believe that

anyone should be able to buy there way into heav-

en and i do not feel like what friar Johann Tetzel

is doing. I was in a band of the angry peasants

that raided some of the monasteries in Germany.

Thousands of my friends were killed and Luther

did nothing to stop it, he even told them to show

no mercy when punishing us, its not right and i

don't like it, what do i do?

sincerely, Help

Dear Help, You can’t take back what you did and

you can’t get your friends back. You and your

friends were wrong for raiding the monasteries,

but if you feel betrayed, you should stop following

Luther and do your own thing to fight against the

friar.

Dear Thomas,

Hello, i am having a problem with becoming a

renaissance man. I sing, i write, i read, I'm edu-

cated, i paint, i make sculptures, and i am a gen-

tleman, but i have no muscle at all. There is this

girl that i am madly in love with, but she wont

pay me any attention because she is too busy

watching the ruffians act like barbarians rolling

around in the dirt wrestling. I just want her to no-

tice me, what do i do?

Sincerely, Lonely

Dear Lonely,

This is a serious problem, maybe if ask her out

on a date and show her some of your sculptures

she'll become more interested in you, but if that

does not work, then you may need to eat more

meat and drink more wine until you get over her,

you can’t spend the time you have living wasted

on a hope, live while you can.

Dear Thomas, Alexander is young,

but wise man. He is

always ready to help

and give his advice

to benefit others.

His life is far from

perfect, which is

why he is so wise,

and he is very in

tune with what is

going on.

Dear Thomas

Hi, i just can't believe we are over the

plague, we made it, we survived. I just

don't know what to do now though, can

you help me?

Sincerely, Ferdinand

Dear Ferdinand,

Like you said, you made it my good fel-

low, it is a new time, one to be appreciated

and enjoyed. You should have fun and live

while you are able and have the time. You

need to embrace the spirit of secular and

not fight it.

Martin Luther

Gossip Column: Sandro Botticelli’s

Birth of Venus

Sandro Botticelli has just finished his latest masterpiece, the Birth of Venus. It displays

humanism, depth, and a mythological connection. Though, no one knows exactly who the

painting was painted for, but there is a rumor going around that says it was for a member of

the Medici family in Florence . The Medici family are renowned patrons in Florence, not to

mention it was Cosimo de’pagen’s interest in the neo-pagan philosopher Gemistus Pletho’s

lectures at the Council of Florence in 1439 on Plato that made him revive Plato’s philosophy

and start the Platonic Academy. The academy focuses on many Greek gods and myths from

Plato’s school of philosophy that was established in Athens in 387BC. This painting seems to

have one purpose, to be aesthetically pleasing, but is it a little too much? Sandro Botticelli

went the extra mile to make Venus look elegant and curvy and very sexual. The Medici family

has not said that the painting is for them, but the painting is based off of Greek Aphrodite

sculptures, the sculpture that this painting is based off of happens to be owned by the Medici

family. This is not a cheap painting and as i have said, the Medici family are well known pa-

trons. There are so many questions that can be asked that are not answered, did the Medici

family have it made? Is this what the artist of Florence want to paint and is it right for society?

Though it is only a rumor, the Medici family have not denied anything.

Helios’ Table

A new restaurant has opened in Florence called Helios’ Table. They offer meats that have

been preserved by salting, fresh meat, or meat that was not killed and cleaned to long ago to

their customers. All of their meats have been boiled to kill bacteria and is mainly roasted

over a fire. If you are a noble or a wealthy businessman, you can have your food seasoned

with imported spices, or you can choose to eat like everyone else and eat with flavorful fruits

as a side to give your meal some flavor. Helios’ Table also serves soups and salads . Like

most salads of the day their salads are comprised of cooked and raw vegetables and herbs.

Their soups are made up of a colorful assortment of ingredients like different herbs mixed

with salt and broths. Their broths come from boiling meats with herbs and then saving the

water to make a soup and roasting the meat to put in the soup or using it for something else.

All of their meats and vegetables and herbs are gathered from farmers or gathered by hand. It

is an amazing restaurant and all of its foods are prepared exactly like any other foods of out

time and seasoned the same way, if not better. They also have an assortment of breads made

with different grains and for different prices. Go try it out.

Lets Eat !

Feudalism No More Out with the old and in with the new,

we can kiss the middle ages and feudalism

goodbye. Feudalism, as we all know, was

what the middle ages government was cen-

tered around, knights, chivalry, kings and

Lords. We no longer obey, or adhere to the

rules of those times. Instead of being ruled by

a king or Lord, we elect representatives to ex-

ercise power for us, this is a republic. Yes, the

Renaissance is now a republic, but to talk

about our republic, we have to talk about

Florence and guilds.

Florence is an independent republic that is run by elected people and elected mem-

bers of the guilds of the city. The guild were divided into two classes, major and minor.

The major guilds were guilds that made more money and guilds that made things that

were in high demand . The minor guilds were guilds that performed basic necessary jobs

like, cooks, carpenters, and bakers. The wealthy businessmen in

these two category of guilds make many of the decisions for the

city, with help from the elected people. This created a government

that was overseen by the people of the city, with their only influ-

ence being each other and things like religion and personal im-

provement.

The Medici Family is one of the main families in

Florence that is very powerful. They obtained the power

they have today from their very successful banking busi-

ness. They are part of many of the guilds that are part of the

republic . The are part of many of the decision that Florence

makes today and many would say they are the key to our

republic.

Martin Luther Nails A Headline 1517 marks the start of start of something huge. Marti Luther, a

German monk who became a catholic priest. He became the

soul reason for the spark of the Protestant Reformation. Martin

Luther is a very important man in the catholic church, he caused

one of the biggest scandals you could ever imagine. After be-

coming a catholic priest Martin Luther ran into indulgences, lit-

tle slips of paper that you can buy that pardons you from your

sins. Yes, you read that correctly, indulgences allowed you to

buy your way into heaven, can you believe it? Martin Luther

couldn’t, he says that the passage into heaven isn’t earned by

good deeds and can not be bought, it is a gift of God’s grace

bestowed to you trough faith in Jesus Christ alone. Luther wrote his

thoughts down and nailed them up for everyone to see, this document be-

came known as his 99 Thesis. The thesis spread like wild fire and soon it

reached the Pope Leo X and he threatened Luther with excommunication,

or exile form heaven. Martin Luther did not believe he could be excom-

municated because he knew that his faith in God was unquestionable and

he never doubted him. Martin Luther burned the Pope’s threat of excom-

munication and so the Pope and the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V ex-

communicated Luther in 1521 at the Diet of Worms .

Luther was not the only one that was upset and bothered about

the situation, he had many followers who supported him, they

were called Lutherans and they shared the same beliefs as him.

The whole thing would be known as the Protestant Refor-

mation. The Protestants would follow Martin Luther and break

away from the Catholic Church. The protestant stayed Chris-

tians, but they did not adhere to the Pope or acknowledge his

authority or power. Of course this feud did not end so simply,

there were thousands of lives lost due to the war that The 99

thesis caused and all just two divide the catholic church more

than it already was .

Inventions

Johannes Guten-

berg invents the

new printing press

that makes printing

faster and easier.

Muskets change battle,

the first usable rifle

that soldiers could car-

ry, it fires metal balls

Blaise Pascal invents the

first digital calculator in

1642,a t the age of 18.

Columbus’ Grand Expeditions

According to Eyewitness History, on Au-

gust 3rd 1492, Christopher Columbus led

three ships (Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria)

out of the Spanish port of Palos. The ob-

jective was to sail west until he reached

Asia (Indies) . There lied the riches of

gold, pearls and spices. The trip took way

longer than anticipated. This expedition

lasted from September 6th until October

7th. The Santa Maria wrecked on the

North coast of Hispaniola on Christmas

Eve. To alleviate his crew’s presentiment,

Columbus kept two separate sets of logs.

The first set showed the actual distance

traveled each day and the second set of

logs showed a lesser amount of distance

traveled. First set of logs were kept a se-

cret to help with the crew members’ anxie-

ty. As time grew, the crew’s anxiousness

grew bigger and bigger until Columbus

said that if they didn’t see land in two

days, then they would return home; the

next day land was discovered.

October 1493 marked the beginning

of Columbus’ second expedition. A

swift of 17 ships and 1,500 colonists

aboard. Along this journey, the Lee-

ward Islands were discovered. When

Columbus arrived in Hispaniola, he

discovered that the first colony was

destroyed but shortly found a new col-

ony nearby. In the summer of 1494,

Columbus set to explore the southern

coast of Cuba. Columbus returned to

Spain in 1496. n the third expedition,

Columbus was forced to transport

convicts as colonist since Hispaniola

was said to be harsh. In the fourth ex-

pedition, Columbus traveled as far as

Honduras in central America and

coasted until he ended up stranded in

Jamaica.

“ The World Is Round”

Christopher

Columbus

Ch

rist

oph

er C

olu

mb

us’

route

s

Discovering America

1.)We hear that you're most famous

work is the Mona Lisa, is it true that it

is not complete?

- Yes that is true, I did not finish my

painting because I have a tendency to

start things and not finish them some-

times, this is why me and Michelangelo

have been at each others throat

2.)What inspired you to create the

Mona Lisa?

- A man, Francesco del Giocondo

hired me to paint a portrait of his

wife and is why it is sometimes re-

ferred to as La Giocondo

3.) Why were you considered to be a

renaissance man?

- I was considered a renaissance man

for many reasons, I was skilled in

multiple subjects, I helped pioneer

the sciences, I developed new art

techniques, and I also was the first to

dissect the human body

4.) Why didn’t you publish and of the

scientific advances you made?

-Well it was a different world back then.

I had more respect then most people,

but if I’d tried to publish my scientific

thoughts then I would have been

laughed out of the building. Or killed.

5.) What is the new technique that you used in your

paintings such as in the Mona Lisa?

- It’s called sfumato, it’s the hazy atmosphere in the

painting. I think it gives a more realistic background

than some of the other backgrounds that other artist

use and it makes the painting look unreal.

6.) I heard that your painting was a real show stop-

per, how good were they to you?

-Marvelous, I enjoyed painting. To me I feel that

once you are offered to paint for church officials and

royals, you are considered a good paint as well as a

show stopper.

7.)What happened with you and the law when you

were 24?

- I don’t really like to discuss this with people, but

back then, me and a couple of buddies of mine were

hanging out. Next thing I know, we were all being

charged with sodomy, which was illegal in Florence

where I was living. The charges were acquitted

though.

8.) What happened after the accident, there

were no records of anything on you?

After the accident, I decided to runaway. It

was a lot of stress and pressure. I left Ver-

rocchio’s studio and also my father’s house.

During that time, I was living with the Med-

ici and working in the Garden of the Piazza

San Marco in Florence. I just had to get

away.

Editors of our magazine sat down and interview Leonardo da Vinci, Read about what took place

Interview with

Leonardo da Vinci

9.) Why did you decide not to publish

your inventions or continue working on

them?

- I had over 13,000 pages full of drawing

and inventions I had wrote up. I even had

ideas about flying machines, war machin-

ery and much more. I guess since most of

my inventions weren’t successful so I nev-

er put much more thought into it. Plus, I

had many things such as my painting to

focus on.

10.) What was the “Last Supper” about?

- The Last Supper was a painting I painted

for my old boss, Ludovico Sforza. I worked

for him for about 18 years or so and he

wanted a religious picture. The picture de-

scribes Jesus and the Apostles at the last

supper. And the way I drew it, it created a

perfect financial scene.

Medical Practices During a time when there was an explosion of inspiration in the arts, science, technolo-

gy, and medicine after the dark Middle Ages, medical practices during the Renaissance was

bizarre and terrible. Many people couldn’t see a doctor when they were sick and some even be-

lieved that the doctors were evil. Plague and other diseases were common because of the lack

of proper sewage systems, hygiene habits or general knowledge of how people got sick. Dur-

ing the early 1330's, there was an outbreak of a disease known as the bubonic plague, or Black

Death. It began in Asia, a main trade route at the time and had soon infected most of Europe.

Symptoms of the plague included fever, swollen lymph nodes, and the emergence of spots on

the body that turned red, then black, giving the Black Death its name. The disease spread ex-

tremely quickly, The Italian writer Boccaccio said, "Its victims often ate lunch with their

friends and dinner with their ancestors in paradise."

People desperately tried to find cures, nearly all of which were ineffective. Cures for the

Black Death included: Placing a live hen next to the swelling to draw out the pestilence from

the body. Then, to quicken recovery, the patient should drink a glass of their own urine twice a

day, eating organs of frogs, placing leeches on the patient to draw out the sickness through the

blood, Shaving a chicken and placing its bottom on the spots caused by plague, whipping one-

self

The whipping wasn't such a farfetched idea at the time; many believed that the plague

was a punishment from God for sinning and that by suffering, they would be forgiven. The in-

tense religiousness of the general population had caused a setback in the race for a cure. Rather

than improving sanitary conditions, many prayed to God for forgiveness for their sins.

Between the years 1347 and 1352, 25 million people were killed by the plague. One third of

Europe perished because of the disease and it never really died out until the 1600's. Plague

doctors wore long , leather coats, tall boots, protective hats and a large, beak-shaped mask to

protect against plague. The beak was filled with strong smelling herbs meant to mask the scent

of death which was thought to be the cause of the plague. The Renaissance was a huge time

for advancements science and technology as well as other fields. The Renaissance was very

important for modern medicine at the time. This is greatly due to the Protestant Reformation

of the Roman Catholic Church. The church was in charge of doctors and their work, choking

them by keeping them from doing things like human dissections to learn about the human

body, driving them to do it in secret. Scientists or doctors whose ideas opposed that of the

church were punished or suppressed. The church went by the word of the Bible and of an an-

cient Greek physician named Galen, whose theories did not question the church.

However, when a Latin transcript of a document written by Galen regarding his favor of

human dissection was published, (thanks to the printing press), the church, already weakened

by the Reformation, could not fight back. Doctors believed that the body contained four ele-

ments, or humors that, when unbalanced, caused sickness. These humors were black bile, yel-

low bile, phlegm, and blood.

Doctors did not perform surgery, barbers did simply because they had the sharpest

knives and scissors, and they also were regarded as dentists for similar reasons. A popular cure

at the time was leeching or bloodletting because by releasing the blood, people believed they

could balance the humors. People thought that disease was caught by breathing in bad odors or

because the person had sinned. Many people prayed, meditated, or went on pilgrimages to

cure sickness, believing it to be a punishment from God. People did not bathe because water

was often a carrier of disease and people believed it stripped the body of natural oils. A Medie-

val Bloodletting Scene Major Medical Concerns

About half of all children in Europe during the Renaissance died before the age of 5. Af-

ter the breakthrough in in finding Galen's manuscript, doctors were then free to dissect human

corpses for observation and use in medical science, (though it was still frowned upon). Thanks

to the studying of the human body, artists, such as Leonardo Da Vinci could create more de-

tailed and accurate medical drawings that could be effectively distributed by use of the print-

ing press, an invention of the Renaissance. Hospitals during the middle Ages and Renaissance

were not like hospitals today. They housed not only the sick, but the poor, the blind, the insane,

orphans, and travelers. They were run by monasteries and their main purpose was to provide

hospitality to whoever needed it; offering food, shelter, and medical attention if required.

However, they rarely housed the sick unless in the case such as that the individual had no

home. Monasteries offered medical help and spiritual guidance to people. Hospitals weren't

really needed until the Crusades in the 12th century. Hundreds of hospitals were built in the

13th century and still more in the 14th century due to the plague. Hospitals as we know them

today were first developed in France for the purpose of separating lepers and plague victims

from the public as well as housing pilgrims. Conclusion Medicine and medical practices dur-

ing the middle ages were revolutionized during the Renaissance with the loosening of the

Church's grip on medicine and new inventions and discoveries in the ways of anatomy, medi-

cine, and surgery.

New ideas and theories were introduced and reliance on superstition was no longer used as

much in treating illnesses, however, doctors and scientists were still far off from what we

know today. Issues like the plague sparked the invention of modern day hospitals as well as

theories as to how illnesses are spread. Medical knowledge was primarily controlled by the

Church during the middle Ages but lost power after their beliefs were challenged. Inventions

such as the printing press revolutionized how knowledge about medicine and anatomy was

spread.

Top 10 Music Artist of the

Month

1. William Cornyshe

2. Ludwig Senfl

3. John Taverner

4. Heinrich Finck

5. Jacob Obrecht

6. John Taverner

7. Claude Goudimel

8. Christopher Tye

9. Loys Bourgeiuos

10.Thomas Tallis

Queen Elizabeth’s Clothing Line

Elegant golden dress with the

beautiful draw-string in the front

and flower pattern

Beautiful blue long sleeve dress with lace

chest design and golden embroidered de-

sign along the dress

This is a beautiful every day wear purple

dress. Can be used for formal wear but

also around your garden and running er-

rands in town.

Romeo

&

Juliet

Renaissance Crossword

Across

1. 1. Wrote.the.99.Theses

2. 4. Finances.Arts

3. 6. Form.of.government.before.republic

4. 7. Patron.family.that.controlled.many.guilds

5. 9. Exile.from.heaven

6. 10. Spirit.of.the.Renaissance

Down

1. 2. Wrote.The.Prince

2. 3. Government.of.Florence

3. 5. Way.many.foods.were.cooked

4. 8. Created.new.printing.press

5. 11. Published.by.Thomas.More

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Dec. 2013. <http://www.music.vt.edu/musicdictionary/appendix/composers/Composerchron.html>.

"Church History." Luther and the Jews. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2013. <http://www.theologian.org.uk/

churchhistory/lutherandthejews.html>.

"Food of the Renaissance." Food of the ReLuther's 95 Theses. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Dec. 2013. <http://

www.luther.de/en/95thesen.html>.naissance. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2013. <http://

www.slideboom.com/presentations/143663/Food-of-the-Renaissance>.

"Martin Luther's 95 Theses." Martin

"Medieval Medicine." digilander.libero.it. Web. 15 Nov. 2012. <http://digilander.libero.it/camdic/

MEDIEVAL%20MEDICINE.htm>.

"Portrait of a Man." - Parmigianino. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2013. <http://www.wikipaintings.org/en/

parmigianino/portrait-of-a-man-1530>.

"Renaissance Literature." - Literature Periods & Movements. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Dec. 2013. <http://

www.online-literature.com/periods/renaissance.php>.

"The Renaissance Market Place." ThinkQuest. Oracle Foundation, n.d. Web. 10 Dec. 2013. <http://

library.thinkquest.org/C005356/e-politics.htm>.

"Renaissance Medicine." med-help.net. Web. 1 Jan. <http://www.med-help.net/med-renaissance-

medicine.html>.

Work Cited

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www.medicalnewstoday.com/info/medicine/medieval-and-renaissance-medicine.php>.

"When did the protestant reformation begin and end?." WikiAnswers. Answers, n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2013.

<http://wiki.answers.com/Q/When_did_the_protestant_reformation_begin_and_end#slide1>.

"What is Medieval and Renaissance Medicine?." Medical News Today. Web. 1 Jan. <http://

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"“We are saved by faith alone, but the faith that saves is never alone.†." Goodreads. N.p., n.d. Web. 12

Dec. 2013. <http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/26222-we-are-saved-by-faith-alone-but-the-faith-

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