▁which ▁had ▁mostly ▁not ▁surv ived ▁the ▁Early ▁Middle ▁A ges ▁in ▁the ▁West . ▁ ▁Their ▁main ▁role ▁within ▁Renaissance ▁human ism ▁was ▁the ▁teaching ▁of ▁the ▁Greek ▁language ▁to ▁their ▁western ▁counter parts ▁in ▁univers ities ▁or ▁priv ately ▁together ▁with ▁the ▁spread ▁of ▁ancient ▁texts . ▁Their ▁for er unn ers ▁were ▁Bar la am ▁of ▁Cal ab ria ▁( B ern ardo ▁Mass ari ) ▁and ▁Leon z io ▁Pil ato , ▁two ▁transl ators ▁who ▁were ▁both ▁born ▁in ▁Cal ab ria ▁in ▁southern ▁Italy ▁and ▁who ▁were ▁both ▁educated ▁in ▁the ▁Greek ▁language . ▁The ▁impact ▁of ▁these ▁two ▁sch ol ars ▁on ▁the ▁very ▁first ▁Renaissance ▁human ists ▁was ▁ind is put able . ▁ ▁By ▁ 1 5 0 0 ▁there ▁was ▁a ▁Greek - spe aking ▁community ▁of ▁about ▁ 5 , 0 0 0 ▁in ▁Ven ice . ▁The ▁Ven et ians ▁also ▁ruled ▁Cre te , ▁Dal mat ia , ▁and ▁scattered ▁islands ▁and ▁port ▁cities ▁of ▁the ▁former ▁emp ire , ▁the ▁populations ▁of ▁which ▁were ▁augment ed ▁by ▁refuge es ▁from ▁other ▁By z antine ▁provinces ▁who ▁preferred ▁Ven et ian ▁to ▁Ott oman ▁govern ance . ▁Cre te ▁was ▁especially ▁notable ▁for ▁the ▁C ret an ▁School ▁of ▁icon - p ain ting , ▁which ▁after ▁ 1 4 5 3 ▁became ▁the ▁most ▁important ▁in ▁the ▁Greek ▁world . ▁ ▁After ▁the ▁peak ▁of ▁the ▁Italian ▁Renaissance ▁in ▁the ▁first ▁dec ades ▁of ▁the ▁ 1 6 th