The 13th century in Italian history and culture, especially as a period of significant artistic and cultural development in Italy.
From Italian 'duecento,' literally meaning 'two hundred,' used to refer to the 1200s in Italian chronology. The term is borrowed directly into English art historical discourse to denote this specific cultural period, similar to how 'quattrocento' (15th century) and 'trecento' (14th century) are used.
Italian Renaissance scholars created this neat system of naming centuries by their hundreds: duecento (200s), trecento (300s), quattrocento (400s)—it's a linguistic hack that makes it obvious you're talking about centuries! This terminology reveals how Italians dominated art history so thoroughly that their naming system became international.
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