Mary Beard on Lessons from Ancient Rome
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24m
The deepening political divide in the U.S. and an apparent realignment of the world order through President Trump’s foreign policy have prompted many comparisons to the fall of the Roman Empire. But can we really look back at ancient civilisations and draw parallels with those that exist today? And can the lessons of the past really help us to tackle the challenges of the present? More than clear-cut historical comparisons, Mary Beard – arguably the world’s most famous classicist and Professor of Classics at the University of Cambridge – thinks that the ancient world allows us to see beyond our own context to analyse how power and authority work across the ages. In this fascinating interview, which sweeps from discussing how the gorgon Medusa reflects on Hillary Clinton to how the Roman Empire tackled issues of migration and diversity, Mary Beard discusses how history can inspire the present, or whether it is doomed to always repeat itself.
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🎧 In Conversation with Mary Beard
Mary Beard OBE, FSA, FBA is an English scholar and classicist. Beard is Professor of Classics at the University of Cambridge, a fellow of Newnham College, and the Royal Academy of Arts Professor of Ancient Literature. Mary Beard?s new book is entitled 'Women & Power: A Manifesto'.
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🎧 Twelve Caesars with Mary Beard
The title of Caesar has echoed down the ages as the pinnacle of absolute power and perhaps even tyranny. A single man at the head of a nation or empire with untouchable power. But how powerful were they really and why are they seen as an example to follow when many of the men who became Caesar me...
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Mary Beard on Women and Power
In Greek and Roman antiquity, women’s voices were proof of their wickedness. The pitch and prattle was considered harmful, even unsanitary. In literature, powerful women were emblems of usurpation and mortal danger. Women speaking in public could not only jeopardize the men close to them, but bri...
