History is how we have learnt to think about ourselves. It's not as though the Greeks and Romans are static entities out there to be discovered and translated. We make them speak, we talk to them, and they inform what we say.
Mary BeardRead
It's a bit naff, but there is something exciting about pulling a bit of pottery out of the ground that's 2,000 years old.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Discovering ancient pottery is thrilling as it connects us to history.
The quote reflects the excitement and wonder that comes from unearthing artifacts from the past, particularly pottery that is thousands of years old. This act of excavation brings history to life, allowing us to engage with the world as it once was and appreciate the craftsmanship and culture of ancient civilizations.
Themes
PotteryHistoryExcavationArtifactsAncient
In practice
Example use cases
This quote is perfect for a lecture on archaeology at a university.
More from Mary Beard
All quotes βI don't think that we are completely dominated by what we have inherited from the past, but it is the case that as far back as you can go - just to Homer, but also to the literature of Rome, the literature of the Middle Ages and Renaissance - what you will find is that women's voices are not taken seriously.
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What politicians do is they never get the rhetoric wrong, and the price they pay is they don't speak the truth as they see it. Now, I will speak truth as I see it, and sometimes I don't get the rhetoric right. I think that's a fair trade-off.
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I'd quite like to be in Caligula's court - living in the back room somewhere and just being able to observe.
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Whatever you say about popular culture, people like people who know things, who are experts, and it doesn't particularly matter what they look like.
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There is no way, absolutely no way, that I would want people to stop reading the 'Odyssey.' But I want them to read it with their eyes open. To notice it and then to think what it says about us.
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