Conville & Walsh

However different and unique we believe we are, over and over again we can be seen to be living very much like people did 2,000 or more years ago. Whether political, social or cultural, there are endless parallels between the ancient and modern worlds. The political assassination of Thatcher echoes the murder of Julius Caesar, the Beckhams are a modern incarnation of The Satyricon’s super-rich freedman Trimalchio, and a family at war with itself is the central theme of both Aeschylus and EastEnders. And was Spartacus the last gladiator who terrified the authorities with his refusal to know his place? Tell that to Muhammed Ali.

So let us re-examine the past. Our lives are infinitely richer if we take a little time to look at what the Greeks and Romans have given us: in politics and law; religion and philosophy; art and culture. The very language we speak is packed with words which come directly from Latin and Greek. Each time we talk about a trial by jury, each time we argue about religious freedom, each time we think about equal rights, we’re continuing a conversation which began millennia ago. So why not go back to the beginning?