Journal of the History of Ideas

In 1566 and 1567, two noted Florentine humanists–—Vincenzio Borghini and Girolamo Mei— carried on a written debate about Florence's origins and early history. That debate reveals significant features and innovations about the ways late humanists approached and employed historical evidence, as well as their own reflections on their methods. We see important roles for both humanistic tools of textual and linguistic analysis, and for antiquarian studies of artifacts and inscriptions. Borghini won the debate, but Mei remained committed to his own emphasis on textual analysis and never accepted Borghini's broad and more eclectic use of artifacts as historical sources.