{"id":47329,"date":"2025-07-10T20:53:04","date_gmt":"2025-07-10T20:53:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/historiografija.hr\/?p=47329"},"modified":"2025-07-10T20:54:27","modified_gmt":"2025-07-10T20:54:27","slug":"bernd-roeck-the-world-at-first-light-a-new-history-of-the-renaissance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/historiografija.hr\/?p=47329","title":{"rendered":"Bernd Roeck, \u201eThe World at First Light: A New History of the Renaissance\u201c"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The cultural epoch we know as the Renaissance emerged at a certain time and in a certain place. Why then and not earlier? Why there and not elsewhere? In <em>The World at First Light<\/em>, historian Bernd Roeck explores the cultural and historical preconditions that enabled the European Renaissance. Roeck shows that the rediscovery of ancient knowledge, including the science of the medieval Arab world, played a critical role in shaping the beginnings of Western modernity. He explains that the Renaissance emerged in a part of Europe where competing states and cities formed relatively open societies. Most of the era\u2019s creative minds\u2014from Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo to Copernicus and Galileo\u2014came from the middle classes. The art of arguing flowered, the basso continuo to intellectual and cultural breakthroughs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Roeck argues that two revolutions shaped the Renaissance: a media revolution, triggered by Gutenberg\u2019s invention of movable type\u2014which itself was a driving force behind the scientific revolution\u2014and the advent of modern science. He also reports on the dark side of the era\u2014hatred of Jews, witch panic, religious wars, and the atrocities of colonialism. In a series of meditative counterfactuals, Roeck considers other cultural rebirths throughout the first millennium, from the Islamic empire to the Carolingians, examining why the epic developments of the Renaissance took place in the West and not elsewhere. The complicated legacy of the Renaissance, he shows, encompasses the art of critical thinking as learned from the ancients, the emergence of the modern state, and the genesis of democracy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Reviews<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The World at First Light is a work of enormous erudition and the fascinating product of a lifetime of scholarship. Everyone interested in the idiosyncratic history of Europe and the origins of the modern world should read it. Not because it would be beyond criticism\u2014which major history book is?\u2014but because one can learn so much from studying it and from engaging with its many challenging claims. \u2013 Peer Vries, author of <em>State, Economy and the Great Divergence: Great Britain and China, 1680s\u20131850s<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Combining a broad overview with vivid vignettes, Bernd Roeck\u2019s emphasis on the modernity of the Renaissance gives him a good claim to be regarded as the Burckhardt of the early twenty-first century. \u2013 Peter Burke, Emmanuel College Cambridge<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About the author<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Bernd Roeck has been professor of modern history at the University of Zurich and director of the German Centre for Venetian Studies in Venice. He is the author of Florence 1900: The Quest for Arcadia, Civic Culture and Everyday Life in Early Modern Germany, and other books.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Translated by Patrick Baker<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Pages: <\/strong>1184<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Published: <\/strong>Jun 3, 2025<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/press.princeton.edu\/?srsltid=AfmBOorc3S5mcdmiXrd4La0oq1pEWOv2bjURboWCLaw4dZACofJ3BtV5\">https:\/\/press.princeton.edu\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":47330,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[8,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-47329","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-knjige","category-novosti"],"acf":{"facebook_opis":""},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/historiografija.hr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Renaissance-scaled.jpg?fit=1718%2C2560&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":53573,"url":"https:\/\/historiografija.hr\/?p=53573","url_meta":{"origin":47329,"position":0},"title":"Izlo\u017eba \u201eKlovi\u0107: Hrvatski renesansni san u Egiptu\u201c u Aleksandrijskoj knji\u017enici","author":"Branimir Jankovi\u0107","date":"21. svibnja 2026.","format":false,"excerpt":"U\u00a0Aleksandrijskoj knji\u017enici u Egiptu 4. svibnja 2026.\u00a0sve\u010dano je otvorena\u00a0izlo\u017eba \u201eKlovi\u0107: Hrvatski renesansni san u Egiptu\u201c (\u201eKlovi\u0107: Croatian Renaissance Dream in Egypt\u201d ). Izlo\u017ebu je organiziralo Veleposlanstvo Republike Hrvatske u Egiptu, autor izlo\u017ebe je diplomatski savjetnik dr. Daniel Rafaeli\u0107, a izlo\u017eba je realizirana uz pomo\u0107 Hrvatske akademije znanosti i umjetnosti u\u2026","rel":"","context":"U &quot;Izlo\u017ebe&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Izlo\u017ebe","link":"https:\/\/historiografija.hr\/?cat=10"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/historiografija.hr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/aleksandrijska-knjiznica-klovic-1.jpg?fit=1024%2C632&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/historiografija.hr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/aleksandrijska-knjiznica-klovic-1.jpg?fit=1024%2C632&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/historiografija.hr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/aleksandrijska-knjiznica-klovic-1.jpg?fit=1024%2C632&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/historiografija.hr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/aleksandrijska-knjiznica-klovic-1.jpg?fit=1024%2C632&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":53805,"url":"https:\/\/historiografija.hr\/?p=53805","url_meta":{"origin":47329,"position":1},"title":"&#8220;Relics and War in the Eastern Roman Empire&#8221;, J. S. del Pozo","author":"Filip \u0160imunjak","date":"3. lipnja 2026.","format":false,"excerpt":"Relics and War in the Eastern Roman Empire: Christian Charismatic Objects in Byzantine Military Contexts and Society This book examines the use of Christian relics as protective amulets, emblems, and talismans in war and military contexts in the Eastern Roman Empire (ca. 310\u20131204). For centuries, Christians have venerated the mortal\u2026","rel":"","context":"U &quot;Knjige&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Knjige","link":"https:\/\/historiografija.hr\/?cat=8"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/historiografija.hr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Relics-and-War-East-Rome.webp?fit=596%2C901&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/historiografija.hr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Relics-and-War-East-Rome.webp?fit=596%2C901&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/historiografija.hr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Relics-and-War-East-Rome.webp?fit=596%2C901&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":54169,"url":"https:\/\/historiografija.hr\/?p=54169","url_meta":{"origin":47329,"position":2},"title":"Women, Nationalism, and Social Networks in the Habsburg Monarchy, 1848\u20131918","author":"Branimir Jankovi\u0107","date":"18. lipnja 2026.","format":false,"excerpt":"Edited by Marta Verginella Purdue University Press Series: Central European Studies 258 Pages Published 2023 Women, Nationalism, and Social Networks in the Habsburg Monarchy, 1848\u20131918 focuses on the lives of women in Southeastern Europe during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, exploring the intersection of gender and nationalism. By looking at\u2026","rel":"","context":"U &quot;Knjige&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Knjige","link":"https:\/\/historiografija.hr\/?cat=8"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/historiografija.hr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Verginella.avif","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/historiografija.hr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Verginella.avif 1x, https:\/\/historiografija.hr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Verginella.avif 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":53790,"url":"https:\/\/historiografija.hr\/?p=53790","url_meta":{"origin":47329,"position":3},"title":"&#8220;The Balkans in the Seventh Century: Ethnic and Cultural Transformations&#8221;, eds. P. Sophoulis, G. Kardaras","author":"Filip \u0160imunjak","date":"2. lipnja 2026.","format":false,"excerpt":"The seventh century was a period of radical transformation in the Balkans in terms of political, social, and economic history. The decline in Byzantine power led to the collapse of ancient urban civilization, the arrival of new populations from eastern Europe and the steppes, and, subsequently, the establishment of new\u2026","rel":"","context":"U &quot;Knjige&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Knjige","link":"https:\/\/historiografija.hr\/?cat=8"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/historiografija.hr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Balkans-7th-century.webp?fit=596%2C888&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/historiografija.hr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Balkans-7th-century.webp?fit=596%2C888&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/historiografija.hr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Balkans-7th-century.webp?fit=596%2C888&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":52679,"url":"https:\/\/historiografija.hr\/?p=52679","url_meta":{"origin":47329,"position":4},"title":"CfP: CHOSEN NATION(S): HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL INTERPRETATIONS OF EXCEPTIONALISM, BUDAPEST, 10TH\u201311TH JUNE 2026 (DEADLINE: 1ST MAY 2026)","author":"Branimir Jankovi\u0107","date":"27. travnja 2026.","format":false,"excerpt":"The Ludovika University of Public Service (NKE) and the Jewish Theological Seminary \u2013 University of Jewish Studies (OR-ZSE) are pleased to announce a joint academic conference on \u201cChosen Nation(s): Historical and Cultural Interpretations of Exceptionalism\u201d, to be held in Budapest, Hungary. Chosen Nation(s): Historical and Cultural Interpretations of Exceptionalism Keynote\u2026","rel":"","context":"U &quot;Novosti&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Novosti","link":"https:\/\/historiografija.hr\/?cat=3"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/historiografija.hr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/hsozkult.png?fit=1006%2C241&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/historiografija.hr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/hsozkult.png?fit=1006%2C241&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/historiografija.hr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/hsozkult.png?fit=1006%2C241&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/historiografija.hr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/hsozkult.png?fit=1006%2C241&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":52677,"url":"https:\/\/historiografija.hr\/?p=52677","url_meta":{"origin":47329,"position":5},"title":"CfP: NAVIGATING THE PAST, FACING THE PRESENT: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES IN RE-PRESENTING CONFLICTS AND VIOLENCE IN MEMORY AND EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS, WARSAW, 22ND\u201324TH OCTOBER 2026 (DEADLINE: 30TH APRIL 2026)","author":"Branimir Jankovi\u0107","date":"27. travnja 2026.","format":false,"excerpt":"The conference and graduate workshop (October 22-24, 2026, Warsaw) addresses the representation of history in public and institutional contexts, with a focus beyond the often-studied field of \u201cmemory culture\u201d. Rather than emphasizing the politicization of memory and cultural institutions, the discussion shifts toward new methods, media, and challenges in historical\u2026","rel":"","context":"U &quot;Novosti&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Novosti","link":"https:\/\/historiografija.hr\/?cat=3"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/historiografija.hr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/hsozkult.png?fit=1006%2C241&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/historiografija.hr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/hsozkult.png?fit=1006%2C241&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/historiografija.hr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/hsozkult.png?fit=1006%2C241&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/historiografija.hr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/hsozkult.png?fit=1006%2C241&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/historiografija.hr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47329","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/historiografija.hr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/historiografija.hr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/historiografija.hr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/historiografija.hr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=47329"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/historiografija.hr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47329\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":47333,"href":"https:\/\/historiografija.hr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47329\/revisions\/47333"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/historiografija.hr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/47330"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/historiografija.hr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=47329"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/historiografija.hr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=47329"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/historiografija.hr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=47329"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}