section_path: Arts/12th-century renaissance
section_name: 12th-century renaissance
paragraph_text: 12th-century renaissance
  
  During the 12th century, there was a revival in mosaic, and regional schools of architecture began producing many distinctive styles that drew on a range of cultural influences. In this period, the Byzantines provided the earliest model of Renaissance humanism through their revival of interest in classical authors. Eustathius of Thessalonica is considered the greatest example of Byzantine humanism as he studied both classics and theology. In philosophy, there was a resurgence of classical learning not seen since the 7th century, characterised by a significant increase in the publication of commentaries on classical works. Moreover, the first transmission of classical Greek knowledge to the West occurred during the Komnenian period. In terms of prosperity and cultural life, the Komnenian period was one of the peaks in Byzantine history, and Constantinople remained the leading city of the Christian world in size, wealth, and culture. There was a renewed interest in classical Greek philosophy, as well as an increase in literary output in vernacular Greek. Byzantine art and literature held a pre-eminent place in Europe, and the cultural impact of Byzantine art on the West during this period was enormous and of long-lasting significance.