Based on the following passage on the birth of architecture during the Renaissance, why did the first architects use ancient Rome as inspiration? The first architects looked to the past—Rome, specifically—for inspiration, and constructed new and more elaborate buildings based on ancient designs that incorporated the latest in engineering technology. The Italian master architect Filippo Brunelleschi (1377–1446) designed many of the renowned buildings of Florence, Italy, that made the city the cradle of the Renaissance and a historical gem today. Michelangelo, in addition to being a painter and sculptor, was an important architect; he was a principal designer of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome in the mid-16th century.

A. Many of the first architects were Italian and were surrounded by artifacts from the Roman Empire.

B. The buildings of ancient Rome were far more elaborate than anything that had been built during the Middle Ages.

C. The Roman Empire was known for its highly religious structures, which the first architects sought to copy for secular buildings.

D. Construction technology had reached its peak in ancient Rome and had declined during the Middle Ages.