The historical terms Middle Ages and Renaissance are intellectual constructs used to denote a broad period, spanning from the fourth to the seventeenth century. One unifying characteristic of medieval and Renaissance cultures is the intellectual struggle for the synthesis of human knowledge.

With the three major world religions rising in the Mediterranean basin, this period offers a highly relevant model for contemporary study of the interaction of cultures. Study of the medieval and early modern world is fundamental for understanding many of the current pressures that are again opening the world to a renewed internationalism.