This chapter provides a bridge between the classical cultures, which had contributed so much to a general philosophical understanding of the world, and the European Renaissance. The Visigoths had swept across Western Europe and eventually remained in northern Spain, with a center at Toledo. They retained many of the stable administrative structures of the Romans, and in this environment, it was possible to support intellectual activity, including translations of ancient texts into Latin. The role of Arabic culture (especially in Bagdad) was also very significant. The Arabs located many of the manuscripts of the ancient authors and used these as a basis for making numerous original scientific observations. These new ideas, plus Greek and Roman scrolls, went with the Moors from western Africa across the Strait of Gibraltar into southern Spain. This led to the development of an intellectual center in Cόrdoba, which provided another stimulus for intellectuals to learn and make copies of ancient texts, which they then carried back to Europe, all of which helped fuel the Renaissance.