Many different kinds of stringed, bowed instruments evolved in the 16th century in Europe, which has caused some contention about certain aspects of the violin family's history. It is thought that perhaps Andrea Amati did not create the first modern violin, and that it was instead created in Brescia earlier in the 16th century. One thing we can be certain about however is that there were a wide variety of different stringed instruments around in the 16th century that the modern violin and its family eventually evolved from - including the lira da braccio, a bowed stringed instrument much like the violin that was popular in the Renaissance period. The oldest surviving violin is named Charles IX, which was made by Andrea Amati in 1564, which in some respects supports the theory that Amati did indeed create the first standard modern violins, or at least provides physical evidence to justify this claim.