Ancient and modern
The ancients knew they couldn’t turn back time
The singer Cher, now 75, has announced that, because she refuses to appear old, she is not going to allow…
Boris wouldn’t be the first to be brought down by a party
Whatever the result of Sue Gray’s report on ‘gatherings’ in Downing Street, there is a political lesson to be learned:…
Will Colston’s statue wreak its revenge?
The statue of the Bristol merchant Edward Colston is apparently guilty of a hate crime. Let us hope that the…
Stranger than fiction
Saturnalia was a period of Roman fun and games held just before our Christmas. Macrobius (c. ad 430) composed a…
Was Penelope really a 'silenced' woman?
Problems about the misuse of history, especially on subjects such as race and colonialism, have been running for a long…
It’s time to settle the Great Omicron Question
Time to settle the Great Omicron Question. First, there is no word omikron (and no c) in ancient Greek. Second,…
Is Latin worth learning?
A teacher wanting to teach Latin has enquired whether it is worth doing because the subject has ‘such a bad…
The ancients would have approved of Durham’s prostitute plans
The ‘globally outstanding’ University of Durham has plans to help its undergraduates who pay their way by prostituting themselves. Three…
Greta and the gap between words and actions
Greta Thunberg and her supporters were loud in protest at COP26, but one wonders to what end. They demanded deeds,…
Could Cicero help MPs who can’t govern?
MPs are not exactly attracting plaudits for their recent attempts at governing. Perhaps Cicero’s three-book work On Duties (De Officiis)…
Would the ancient Greeks have agreed that children are born evil?
The ‘social mobility tsar’ Katharine Birbalsingh has suggested that children, born evil, ‘need to be taught right from wrong and…
The Globe, Plato and the corrupting force of art
The Globe theatre’s project to ‘decolonise’ Shakespeare, as if that would make plays like The Tempest ‘acceptable’ to them and…
Twitter has taken the place of the ancient curse-tablet
Twitter and other easily accessible means of online communication have encouraged the public to believe that Their Voice Will Be…
Aristotle’s account of hatred perfectly fits Sussex University students
Professor Kathleen Stock of Sussex University is accused by a group of students of being transphobic and a danger to…
What James Bond and Aristophanes have in common
So James Bond is back, doing exactly what he always does, inviting the audience into a fantasy world for the…
How the ancients handled refugees
Hardly a day goes by without headlines about immigrants, asylum-seekers and refugees. In the ancient world, movements of people were…
The ancients knew politicians were powerless
Why are cabinet ministers Liz Truss and Dominic Raab squabbling like children over access to grace-and-favour Chevening? Because they know…
Could Emma Raducanu be the new Marcus Rashford?
The extraordinary sporting achievement of Emma Raducanu and the response it has received from royalty and politicians alike makes one…
Why trees mattered to the ancients
A ‘State of the World’ report warns that a third of the world’s wild tree species are threatened with extinction.…
How the ancients showed their true colours
In the 18th century, art historians’ admiration for the beauty of white-ish ancient Greek marble statuary led people to draw…
The Romans would not have made the same mistakes in Afghanistan
‘No one is stupid enough to choose war over peace. In peace sons bury their fathers; in war, fathers bury…
The ancient Athenians knew how to soak the rich
Oxfam is arguing that if all billionaires forked out 99 per cent of their profits made during the Covid pandemic,…
The timeless appeal of Latin
The government’s promise to fund a pilot scheme promoting the teaching of Latin in secondary schools is music to the…
Simone Biles, Plutarch and an Olympic trial
The outstanding gymnast Simone Biles has pulled out of several Olympic events, saying: ‘I just don’t trust myself as much…
The Greeks had their reservations about the Olympics
Winners at the Olympics were thought to have come as close to a god as any man could. But that…
