How did the greeks and romans influence the scholars/thinkers and artists of the renaissance?

The renaissance artist and scholars took most of their inspiration from the Greeks and Romans because at this time studies were taken from the greeks and Romans. After the fall of Rome and the coming about of the dark ages many influential people such as scholars and artist began reverting back to the classical eras of Rome and Greece taking much inspiration for their architecture, sculptures and beliefs such as a focus on the human body and less on religion