We are like dwarfs standing on the shoulders of giants and so able to see more and see farther than the ancients.

Bernard of Chartres, 12th century

From Wikipedia

    The 13th century stained glass of the south transept of the Chartres Cathedral may also be influenced by the metaphor. The tall windows under the Rose Window show four major Old Testament prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel as gigantic figures, and the four New Testament evangelists Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John as sitting on their shoulders. The evangelists, though smaller, “see more” than the huge prophets (they saw the Messiah about whom the prophets spoke).