rebirth,” this term refers to the period of time roughly between 1400 and 1600 during which there was a perceived return to or rebirth of the aesthetic and artistic values of ancient Greece and Rome. The Renaissance entailed a shift from the medieval perception of reality in spiritual terms (with God occupying the central role) to one in which humans were the central figures. Hence this period is often depicted as an era of humanism. See also Erasmus, Desiderius.