European study of the region formerly known as "the Orient" had primarily religious origins, which has remained an important motivation until recent times. This is partly due to how the Abrahamic religions in Europe (Christianity, Judaism and Islam) originated in the Middle East, as well as the rise of Islam in the 7th century, and consequently there was much interest in the origin of these faiths, and Western culture in general. Learning from Arabic medicine and philosophy, and the Greek translations from Arabic, was an important factor in the Middle Ages. Linguistic knowledge preceded a wider study of cultures and history, and as Europe began to encroach upon the region, political and economic factors encouraged growth in academic study. From the late 18th century, archaeology became a link from the discipline to a wide European public, as treasures pillaged during colonial contacts filled new European museums. The modern study was influenced both by imperialist attitudes and interests, and also the sometimes naive fascination of the exotic East for Mediterranean and European writers and thinkers, captured in images by artists, that is embodied in a repeatedly-surfacing theme in the history of ideas in the West, called "Orientalism". In the last century, scholars from the region itself have participated on equal terms in the discipline.