Final answer:
Before the Enlightenment, European knowledge came from Islamic scholars, Byzantine emigres, and cross-cultural exchange with the Islamic world, India, and Persia, covering algebra, trigonometry, philosophy, and classical texts from Plato and Aristotle.
Step-by-step explanation:
Sources of European Knowledge Before the Enlightenment
Before the Enlightenment, Europeans derived much of their knowledge from various sources, including contributions made by Muslim scholars during Europe's intellectual "Dark Age." Notable Islamic scholars such as Al-Khwarizmi, Al-Kindi, Al-Zahrawi, Ibn Al-Haytham, Al-Biruni, Ibn Sina, and Ibn Rushd not only preserved classical Greek philosophy and science but also made significant original contributions to knowledge and culture. They were impressed with the Indian number system and introduced concepts such as the zero to Europe, which was crucial for advancing mathematics and technology, eventually leading to the development of computers.
In addition, after the fall of the Roman Empire, Byzantine scholars brought the knowledge of ancient Greece and Rome to Western Europe. The texts they carried, which included the works of Plato and Aristotle in the original Greek, had a considerable impact on the Italian Renaissance. This period marked the beginning of Europe's journey toward science and technology as we know them today.
Cross-cultural networks of scholarship and knowledge exchange between the Islamic world, India, and Persia facilitated the growth of science and paved the way for the Scientific Revolution that preceded the Enlightenment. This included contributions in fields like algebra and trigonometry, which were essential for the later development of theories about the cosmos and planetary motion.